STAINLESS-STEEL FIBERS IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTOR COMPOSITE

Although notable advances in improving the superconducting properties of the bulk material (YBa2Cu3O7-x) have been reported, its application warrant further improvement in mechanical properties. Continuous stainless steel fibers, 0.73 mm in diameter, were used in the superconducting matrix to increase the toughness and strain-to-failure of the fiber composite. Both mechanical and electrical properties of the fiber composite were evaluated in 3-point bending at 298 K and 77 K. The fiber composite showed substantial improvement in toughness, flexural strain-to-failure (> 1%) and post peak behavior. Also the reaction between the superconducting matrix and the stainless steel fiber was studied using a microprobe to verify the extent of contamination in the fiber composite.