Preparation and characterization of Bi-2223 tapes

In a concerted action between Austrian, Slovakian and Polish research institutes Bi-2223 tapes have been prepared and characterized by different physical methods. Metallographic studies by optical as well as electron microscopy, measurements of critical current (angle dependent) and losses have been performed. Properties of individual filaments extracted from multifilamentary tapes were also studied. Uniformity of local I-C of these filaments were considerably lower than that of the whole tape. This indicates that improvement of filament homogeneity could improve the over all J(C) in tapes. The application of these tapes for optimized magnet coils will also be discussed. From these investigations a better understanding of the mechanisms, limiting the critical current could be achieved and more optimized preparation methods can be envisioned. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.