THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ALUMINUM STABILIZED, FINE-FILAMENTARY SUPERCONDUCTING COMPOSITES-

MOST SUPERCONDUCTORS COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES ARE COPPER STABILIZED. ALUMINUM STABILIZ- ATION, HOWEVER, IS A VERY DESIRABLE APPROACH AS THIS METAL HAS EXCELLENT LOW TEMPERATURE ELECTRICAL CONDUCT- IVITY WHEN PURE, LOW MAGNETORESISTANCE, LOW HEAT CAPACTY, LOW DENSITY, AND HIGH DEGREE OF TANSPARENCY TO ALL TYPES OF PARTICLES. THESE PROPERTIES MAKE HIGH PURITY ALUMINUM A SUPERIOR STABILIZER TO COPPER FOR MANY HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS AND OTHER APPLICATIONS. IN PRODUCING ALUMINUM-STABILIZED SUPERONDUCTORS THE PRINCIPAL PROBLEMS ARISE DURING ELEVATED TEMPERATURE EXTRUSION AND IN WIRE DRAWING AND ARE CAUSED BY DIFFERENCES IN THE MECHNICAL PROPERTIES OF HIGH-PURITY ALUMINUM AND NBTI. THE NEW PROCESS, WHICH THE CMPANY HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED TO PRODUCE FINE FILAMENTARY NBTI IN A COPPER MATRIX FOR THE SUPER- CONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER (SSC), COMBINED WITH LOW TEMPERATURE PROCESSING, ARE IDEALLY SUITED TO THE FABRICATION OF ALUMINUM-STABILIZED FINE-FILAMENT NBTI. THESE METHODS WILL EXPANDED AND MODIFIED TO DEVELOP A PROCESS FOR PRODUCIN A FINE-FILAMENTARY, ALUMINUM- STABILIZED PRODUCT. THE APPROACH WILL BE TO FIRST PRODUCE MONOFILAMENTARY NBTI IN THE CORRECT DEGREE OF COLD WORK SO THAT IT CAN BE FURTHER COLD PROCESSED INTO A WIRE IN THE PRESENCE OF HIGH-PURITY ALUMINUM. THIS WILL THEN BE REASSEMBLED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS TO MAKE FINE-FILAMENT NBTI ALUMINUM-STABILIZED COMPOSITE.