
Use of x-ray imaging for evaluation of superconducting ceramics fabricated by PIT method
Author(s) -
D. Ingerly,
W. A. Ellingson,
N. Vasanthamohan,
Chunxiao Wu
Publication year - 1993
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/188645
Subject(s) - ribbon , materials science , scanning electron microscope , x ray , superconductivity , ceramic , optics , image resolution , composite material , condensed matter physics , physics
High-spatial-resolution microfocus-based X-ray imaging technology, both real-time and film, has been used to study the thickness variation that occurs in the oxide core of silver-sheathed BSCCO ribbons produced by the powder-in-tube method. This thickness variation (also called ``sausaging``) occurs during incremental rolling and degrades the critical current densities of the ribbons. Using X-ray image data the authors determined the onset and severity of sausaging. Onset occurred at a ribbon thickness of 203 {micro}m, and the severity increased with subsequent rolling reductions. Scanning electron microscopy was used to confirm the X-ray image data. X-ray imaging provides several advantages over more traditional methods for characterizing the superconductors such as optical or scanning electron microscopy. The X-ray imaging provides nondestructive information about the entire width of the ribbon, with far greater speed, lower cost, and more flexibility than the traditional techniques