Thermo-electromagnetic stability of ultrafine multifilamentary superconducting wires for 50-60 Hertz use

The authors present calculations of the theoretical thermoelectromagnetic stability of ultrafine multifilamentary superconducting wires. These calculations take into account the self-field effect of the transport current. The authors then compare theoretical and experimental results for conductors comprising typically several hundred thousand 0.17- mu m diameter filaments. These first measurements of the electromagnetic stability of multifilamentary wires under AC conditions have given encouraging results and have shown good agreement with theory. The results are pertinent to the development of Nb-Ti ultrafine filamentary wires for 50-60-Hz applications. >