Design of a Test Bench for $\hbox {MgB}_{2}$ and HTS Wires

An innovative test bench for high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables has been designed and is presently under construction at the Cryogenic Laboratory of the University of Ferrara and INFN-Ferrara, Italy. The aim of the test bench is to measure the critical current as a function of tension or compression of a straight MgB₂ and HTS wire at their working temperature. Currents up to 600 A will be supplied to a 120-mm-long wire, which can be cooled down to 20 K by cold-heads in vacuum. A piece of information from the traction bench will be synchronized with the power supply and quench protection system. Because the stress is constant on the wire cross-section, the measurement of the properties of a straight-wire represents a direct measurement of the strain behavior of the HTS wire. The full mechanical design will be illustrated together with the complete data acquisition system.