Effect of the twisting chirality configuration on the electromechanical behavior of multilayer superconducting tapes

Abstract Seeking a geometry that can withstand greater transverse loads based on the electromechanical material properties of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape is an effective way of improving the transport performance of HTS cables. The cabling method requires the determination of the optimum twist angle of the HTS tape for withstanding transverse loads. This paper investigates the critical current characteristics of HTS tapes under combined deformation. The limit range of the twist angle under the combined deformation is measured and the optimum twist angle of the HTS tape is determined. The results show that the twisting chirality configuration obviously affects the bending strength of the HTS tape. In the elastic range, increasing the pre-twist angle increases the bending strength of the HTS tape, thereby improving the transport performance. In addition, a numerical model is built to further investigate the effect of the twisting chirality configuration on the electromechanical properties of the HTS tape, and the experimental results are explained. The experimental and simulation results generally agree well, and calculations show that there is always a sharp change in stress at the interface of different materials. These findings explain the mechanism of the effect of the twisting chirality configuration on the mechanical behavior and critical current of the HTS tape. They also provide a reference for cabling methodologies for the HTS cable configuration.