Stability of bare and copper-laminated YBCO samples: experimental & simulation results
In this study of stability of YBCO composite, we investigate quench/recovery behavior of YBCO test samples, bare and copper-laminated, by subjecting each test sample, immersed in a bath of liquid nitrogen boiling at 77.3 K, to a transport current pulse superimposed to a baseline DC current of 90-95% the critical current. The current pulse has an amplitude up to /spl sim/4.5 times the critical current and a duration of 300 ms. This paper presents both experimental and simulation results showing that composite YBCO tape that incorporates a copper lamina stabilizes and to a degree protects the conductor against large over-current pulses.