The present invention is intended to increase the critical current density of a wire rod having a shape with good symmetry such as a round wire or a square wire by making use of mechanical milling method. The production method of the present invention for the MgB.sub.2 superconducting wire rod comprises a mixing process of preparing a powder by adding a solid organic compound to a magnesium powder and a boron powder and then applying an impact to the powder to prepare a mixture of the powder in which boron particles are dispersed inside magnesium particles, a filling process of filling a metal tube with the mixture, an elongation process of elongating the metal tube filled with the mixture and a heat treatment process of heat-treating the metal tube to synthesize MgB.sub.2.

The present invention is intended to increase the critical current density of a wire rod having a shape with good symmetry such as a round wire or a square wire by making use of mechanical milling method. The production method of the present invention for the MgB.sub.2 superconducting wire rod comprises a mixing process of preparing a powder by adding a solid organic compound to a magnesium powder and a boron powder and then applying an impact to the powder to prepare a mixture of the powder in which boron particles are dispersed inside magnesium particles, a filling process of filling a metal tube with the mixture, an elongation process of elongating the metal tube filled with the mixture and a heat treatment process of heat-treating the metal tube to synthesize MgB.sub.2.

A precursor for Nb.sub.3Sn single-core superconducting wire includes a Sn-based wire rod, a first Cu-based tube covering an outer circumferential surface of the Sn-based wire rod, an Nb-based tube covering an outer surface of the first Cu-based tube, and a second Cu-based tube covering an outer surface of the Nb-based tube. The Sn-based wire rod contains a matrix phase and at least one kind of hard phases that is harder than the matrix phase. In a cross section parallel to a longitudinal direction of the precursor for Nb.sub.3Sn single-core superconducting wire, a maximum dimension of the hard phases in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is 50% or less of a minimum dimension in the width direction of the Sn-based wire rod and/or is equal to or smaller than a minimum thickness in the width direction of the Nb-based tube.

A precursor for Nb.sub.3Sn single-core superconducting wire includes a Sn-based wire rod, a first Cu-based tube covering an outer circumferential surface of the Sn-based wire rod, an Nb-based tube covering an outer surface of the first Cu-based tube, and a second Cu-based tube covering an outer surface of the Nb-based tube. The Sn-based wire rod contains a matrix phase and at least one kind of hard phases that is harder than the matrix phase. In a cross section parallel to a longitudinal direction of the precursor for Nb.sub.3Sn single-core superconducting wire, a maximum dimension of the hard phases in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is 50% or less of a minimum dimension in the width direction of the Sn-based wire rod and/or is equal to or smaller than a minimum thickness in the width direction of the Nb-based tube.

A superconducting wire comprises a MgB.sub.2 filament, a base material, a high-thermal expansion metal, and a stabilizing material. The high-thermal expansion metal is a metal (for example, stainless steel) having a higher thermal expansion coefficient at room temperature than the MgB.sub.2 and the base material (for example, iron or niobium). The manufacturing method includes a step of packing a mixed powder in a first metal pipe, a step of performing wire-drawing on the first metal pipe formed of the metal to be the base material, a step of producing a composite wire by accommodating the first metal pipe in a second metal pipe formed of the high-thermal expansion metal and the stabilizing material, a step of performing wire-drawing on the composite wire, and a step of performing heat treatment.

A superconducting wire comprises a MgB.sub.2 filament, a base material, a high-thermal expansion metal, and a stabilizing material. The high-thermal expansion metal is a metal (for example, stainless steel) having a higher thermal expansion coefficient at room temperature than the MgB.sub.2 and the base material (for example, iron or niobium). The manufacturing method includes a step of packing a mixed powder in a first metal pipe, a step of performing wire-drawing on the first metal pipe formed of the metal to be the base material, a step of producing a composite wire by accommodating the first metal pipe in a second metal pipe formed of the high-thermal expansion metal and the stabilizing material, a step of performing wire-drawing on the composite wire, and a step of performing heat treatment.

A method for manufacturing a superconductor is described. A metal assembly precursor can be formed within a hollow copper support element. Forming the metal assembly precursor within a hollow copper support element by positioning a plurality of conductor elements about a core including Sn to provide a first plurality of inner interstitial spaces between the plurality of conductor elements between the core and conductor elements and a second plurality of outer interstitial spaces between the hollow copper support element and the core, the plurality of conductor elements including unreacted Nb. The metal assembly precursor can be reduced via cold drawing to produce a reduced metal assembly. The reduced metal assembly can be reaction heat treated so that the unreacted Nb undergoes a phase transformation to a reacted superconductor.

A method for manufacturing a superconductor is described. A metal assembly precursor can be formed within a hollow copper support element. Forming the metal assembly precursor within a hollow copper support element by positioning a plurality of conductor elements about a core including Sn to provide a first plurality of inner interstitial spaces between the plurality of conductor elements between the core and conductor elements and a second plurality of outer interstitial spaces between the hollow copper support element and the core, the plurality of conductor elements including unreacted Nb. The metal assembly precursor can be reduced via cold drawing to produce a reduced metal assembly. The reduced metal assembly can be reaction heat treated so that the unreacted Nb undergoes a phase transformation to a reacted superconductor.

The sheath (3) is a material, which includes an aluminium (Al) matrix, in which nanometric aluminium oxide particles (Al.sub.2O.sub.3) are homogenously dispersed, the content of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 is 0.25 to 5 vol. % and the balance is Al. It is preferred that Al.sub.2O.sub.3 originates from the surface layer present on Al powder used as feedstock material for consolidation. The superconductor based on magnesium diboride (MgB.sub.2) core (1) is fabricated by powder-in-tube or internal magnesium diffusion to boron technology, while the tube is the Al+Al.sub.2O.sub.3 composite, which is a product of powder metallurgy. A loose Al powder is pressed by cold isostatic pressing, and then the powder billet is degassed at elevated temperature and under vacuum, and then is hot extruded into a tube. A thin diffusion barrier (2) tube filled up with a mixture of Mg and B powders or Mg wire surrounded with B powder is placed into the Al+Al.sub.2O.sub.3 composite tube under inert gas or vacuum. Such composite unit is cold worked into a thin wire and then annealed at 625-655° C. for 8-90 min, what results in a formation superconducting MgB.sub.2 in a wire's core (1).

The sheath (3) is a material, which includes an aluminium (Al) matrix, in which nanometric aluminium oxide particles (Al.sub.2O.sub.3) are homogenously dispersed, the content of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 is 0.25 to 5 vol. % and the balance is Al. It is preferred that Al.sub.2O.sub.3 originates from the surface layer present on Al powder used as feedstock material for consolidation. The superconductor based on magnesium diboride (MgB.sub.2) core (1) is fabricated by powder-in-tube or internal magnesium diffusion to boron technology, while the tube is the Al+Al.sub.2O.sub.3 composite, which is a product of powder metallurgy. A loose Al powder is pressed by cold isostatic pressing, and then the powder billet is degassed at elevated temperature and under vacuum, and then is hot extruded into a tube. A thin diffusion barrier (2) tube filled up with a mixture of Mg and B powders or Mg wire surrounded with B powder is placed into the Al+Al.sub.2O.sub.3 composite tube under inert gas or vacuum. Such composite unit is cold worked into a thin wire and then annealed at 625-655° C. for 8-90 min, what results in a formation superconducting MgB.sub.2 in a wire's core (1).