HOT DEFORMATION OF NIOBIUM NITRIDE COMPOSITES

FOR SEVERAL YEARS THE FUSION COMMUNITY HAS RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR A HIGH FIELD SUPERCONDUCTOR WITH ENHANCED STRAIN AND RADIATION RESISTANCE. NIOBIUM NITRIDE (NBN) DEMONSTRATES THESE CAPABILITIES. PRESENT TECHNIQUES TO MANUFACTURE MULTIFILAMENT NBN CONDUCTORS EMPLOY SOME KIND OF DEPOSITION PROCESS SUCH AS SPUTTERING OR CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION. THERMAL NITRIDING OF NIOBIUM REQUIRES HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT CAUSE EXCESSIVE GRAIN GROWTH, INHIBITING GOOD SUPERCONDUCTING PROPERTIES. IN ALL OF THESE PROCESSES, THE FILAMENTS MUST BE CONSOLIDATED INTO A STABILIZED BUNDLE. WITH THE RECENT DISCOVERY OF YBA(2)CU(3)O(7-X) CERAMIC SUPERCONDUCTORS, NEW PROCESSING TECHNIQUES HAVE COME TO LIGHT THAT COULD BE UTILIZED TO FABRICATE NBN SUPERCONDUCTORS. HOT FORMING TECHNIQUES, SUCHAS SWAGING, DRAWING AND EXTRUSION HAVE BEEN USED SINCE THE EARLY 1900S TO MANUFACTURE TUNGSTEN WIRE. THE SAME HOT DEFORMATION TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS HIGH TEMPERATURE EXTRUSION AND HOT DRAWING, WILL BE USED TO FABRICATE NBN WIRE UTILIZING THESE MORE CONVENTIONAL METHODS. THIS PROCESS HAS SCALEUP POTENTIAL THAT IS MORE COMPARABLE TO NBTI AND NB(3)SN CONDUCTORS THAN THE CURRENT METHOD OF PRODUCING NBN CONDUCTORS.