The Mechanical Behavior of the Cable-in-Conduit Conductor in the ITER Project

Abstract

Cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) has wide applications, and this structure is often served to undergo heat force-electromagnetic coupled field in practical utilization, especially in the magnetic confinement fusion (e.g., Tokamak). The mechanical behavior in CICC is of relevance to understanding the mechanical response and cannot be ignored for assessing the safety of these superconducting structures. In this chapter, several mechanical models were established to analyze the mechanical behavior of the CICC in Tokamak device, and the key mechanical problems such as the equivalent mechanical parameters of the superconducting cable, the untwisting behavior in the process of insertion, the buckling behavior of the superconducting wire under the action of the thermo-electromagnetic static load, and the Tcs (current sharing temperature) degradation under the thermo-electromagnetic cyclic loads are studied. Finally, we summarize the existing problems and the future research points on the basis of the previous research results, which will help the related researchers to figure out the mechanical behavior of CICC more easily.