Mechanical properties of winding conductors affected by cyclic thermal overloads

Abstract

The influence of thermal cyclic overloads on mechanical properties of winding conductors was investigated. Copper-niobium microcomposite, soft and hard pure copper wires were conditioned at temperatures range from 77 K to 500 K. The treatment was done during 100 cycles of fast conductor cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature and further fast heating in a climatic chamber. The ultimate tensile stress limit and the elongation at failure of metal-matrix copper-niobium microcomposite, soft and hard copper wires were measured before and after thermal treatment with a testing machine at room temperature.