Mechanical Response of Conductor on Round Core (CORC) Cables Under Electromagnetic Force

The conductor on round core (CORC) cables are fabricated with multilayer high-temperature superconductor tapes, which are helically wound around a circular central former. The large Lorentz force will be generated by the transport current in CORC cables under high magnetic field, which will affect the stress and strain distributions of tapes in the cables and the performance of superconducting tape. This paper establishes a two-dimensional axisymmetric model to analyze the mechanical response of CORC cables subjected to the Lorentz force and analyzes the influence of air gaps on stress and strain distributions inside the cables. The T-A method is used to calculate the distributions of current density, magnetic field and the Lorentz force in CORC cables. The mechanical response of CORC cables is analyzed by applying the Lorentz force as an external load in the mechanical model. The direction of electromagnetic force is analyzed in CORC cables with and without shielding current, and the results show that the shielding current can lead to the concentration of electromagnetic force. The maximum stress and strain occur on both sides of the superconducting tapes in the cables with shielding current. Reducing the size of air gaps can reduce the stress and strain in the superconducting layers. The analysis of mechanical response of CORC cables can play an important role in optimizing the design of CORC cables and improving transmission performance.