Numerical analysis of stress distribution in Cu-stabilized GdBCO CC tapes during anvil tests for the evaluation of transverse delamination strength

Rare-earth–Ba–Cu–O (REBCO) based coated conductors (CCs) are now being used for electric device applications. For coil-based applications such as motors, generators and magnets, the CC tape needs to have robust mechanical strength along both the longitudinal and transverse directions. The CC tape in these coils is subjected to transverse tensile stresses during cool-down and operation, which results in delamination within and between constituent layers. In this study, in order to explain the behaviour observed in the evaluation of c-axis delamination strength in Cu-stabilized GdBCO CC tapes by anvil tests, numerical analysis of the mechanical stress distribution within the CC tape has been performed. The upper anvil size was varied in the analysis to understand the effect of anvil size on stress distribution within the multilayered CC tape, which is closely related to the delamination strength, delamination mode and delamination sites that were experimentally observed. The numerical simulation results showed that, when an anvil size covering the whole tape width was used, the REBCO coating film was subjected to the largest stress, which could result in low mechanical delamination and electromechanical delamination strengths. Meanwhile, when smaller-sized anvils were used, the copper stabilizer layer would experience the largest stress among all the constituent layers of the CC tape, which could result in higher mechanical and electromechanical delamination strengths, as well as high scattering of both of these delamination strengths. As a whole, the numerical simulation results could explain the damage evolution observed in CC tapes tested under transverse tensile stress, as well as the transverse tensile stress response of the critical current, Ic.