Nonlinear contact behavior of HTS tapes during pancake coiling and CORC cabling

Abstract Both the pancake coiling and conductor on round core (CORC) cabling processes consist of winding second-generation high-temperature superconducting tape (REBCO) in a core. The contact behavior between the tape and the core during the winding process directly affects the critical current, cable flexibility, mechanical support and electrical contact resistance. Therefore, the winding process needs to be optimized to produce pancake coils and CORC cables with the desired electrical and mechanical properties. This paper comprehensively considers the role of the relaxation and Poisson effects. The theoretical model and the finite element model (FEM) for calculating the contact stress during the winding process are established, and a formula for the estimation of the contact force is proposed. The suitable winding pre-tension force, winding curvature radius of SCS2030 (2 mm width and 30 μ m substrate thickness) and SCS4050 (4 mm width and 50 μ m substrate thickness) of REBCO tapes are obtained and discussed by accounting for the relaxation effect and the critical current degradation limit. With consideration of the Poisson effect, the nonlinear contact behavior is investigated. In addition, the relaxation effect, Poisson effect and plasticity of the REBCO tape are taken into account in the FEM model. The results show that the axial strain in the REBCO layer during the winding process is related to the contact behavior. The greater the winding pre-tension force, the smaller the helical curvature radius, and the greater the contact force. The distribution of contact stress for several winding factors (winding pre-tension force, winding angle and the core radius) is divided into three contact types: the single-line contact, the double-line contact and the surface contact. The FEM model results are consistent with the theoretical evaluation and are more suitable for practical winding cases. This research is the basis for designing and optimizing pancake coils and CORC cables.