Device for precision dimensional measurement of superconducting cable.

摘要

A need for continuous sampling of the dimensions of superconducting cable has lead to the development of a machine for that purpose. This device measures average thickness, width, and keystone angle for a wide variety of cable sizes while under the mechanical loading anticipated in the final coil structure. Linear dimensions can be measured to (plus minus)0.0001 in. and angle to (plus minus)0. 01(degree). Cable can be measured with and without insulation. Loading is variable up to 25 ksi. This device has applications in epoxy free coil winding where the cable dimensions must be well understood before coil winding in order to predict the size of the finished coil package. As a diagnostic device, it has application in the cable making process to help understand causes for subtle inconsistencies in cable dimensions. A possible quality control application exists. Current cable quality control requires destructive techniques with very small samplings, usually two samples for 5000 ft of cable. We have evaluated device performance by repeated measurements of lengths of SSC cable. 7 figs. (ERA citation 15:035434)