Contact resistance simulations and measurements of MgB_2-MgB_2 lap joints

摘要

Resistive joints are found in many systems using superconductors. Joints are used to connect the superconductor to a normal conducting current terminal or to connect two superconductors, for example in pancake type windings. Knowing the resistance between the contacts is important in studying the heat balance of a superconducting system. We performed several experiments with MgB_2-MgB_2 lap joints to determine the relation between the contact resistance and solder joint length. Also, the effect of the outer sheath material on the contact resistance was studied. To support the experiments, a computational model using Finite Element Method was created. The measured and computed results showed adequate correlation.