Characterization of Electromechanical Delamination Behaviors in Practical REBCO Coated Conductor Tapes Under Transverse Tension at 77 K

In high-temperature superconducting coils, the high transport current density and magnetic field generate a large electromagnetic force on REBCO-coated conductor (CC) tapes. A large Lorentz force can cause interlayer delamination damage to the CC tape under radial or transverse tensile loads. The structural delamination characteristics of multilayered REBCO CC tape are essential for the fabrication of mechanically reliable CC coils. In this study, the electromechanical delamination behaviors of practical REBCO CC tapes were characterized using an anvil test method. Our recently established continuous critical current, I-c measurement system was used to minimize the test time and can directly evaluate the effect of the transverse tensile load on I-c behavior without time-consuming intermittent I-c measurements during testing. Characterization of the delamination mechanism, including damage initiation, was performed through scanning electron microscopy observation of the fractured sample. Two-parameter Weibull distribution analysis was used to specify the data scattering of the electromechanical delamination strength.