For pt.I, see ibid., vol.28, pp.735-738 (1992). The evolution of quenches in multi-strand cables with high resistive matrix is analyzed. During the quench process, the growing normal resistance in certain strands will cause commutation of their current to other strands with less resistance (or still superconductive). This redistribution of current can lead to a quench of the whole cable. Furthermore, above a certain level of the initial current, an extremely fast quench process occurs with an apparent propagation velocity on the order of several kilometers per second. A model is presented that describes the above phenomena and special attention is given to the fast quench. It is noted that the fast quench could be a useful phenomenon for protection purposes or for the realization of superconducting switches with very short opening times and large dR/dt
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