Abstract: A method of making a multilayer article includes depositing a first material on the surface of a metal substrate to form a seed layer of the first material, the first material being deposited under reducing conditions relative to the metal substrate, and then epitaxially depositing a second material on a surface of the seed layer, wherein the second material is deposited from a solution-based precursor under second conditions that are more oxidizing than the reducing conditions used in the deposition of the first material.

Abstract: Methods for biaxially-texturing a surface-region of an amorphous material are disclosed, comprising depositing an amorphous material onto a substrate, and supplying active oxygen near the substrate during ion beam bombardment of the amorphous material to create an amorphous material having a biaxially textured surface, wherein the ion beam bombardment occurs at a predetermined oblique incident angle. Methods for producing high-temperature coated superconductors are also disclosed, comprising depositing an amorphous buffer film onto a metal alloy substrate, bombarding a surface-region of the amorphous buffer film with an ion beam at an oblique incident angle while supplying active oxygen to the surface-region of the amorphous buffer film in order to create a biaxially textured surface-region thereon, and growing a superconducting film on the biaxially textured surface-region of the amorphous buffer film to create a high-temperature coated superconductor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a superconductor billet, in which superconductor billet there are used superconductor rods with a circular cross-section, and which superconductor billet can be extruded into a superconductor in a single-step extrusion process. According to the invention, the superconductor billet (12) is formed of interconnected blocks (1), into which blocks there are packed monofilament superconductor rods (5) with a circular cross-section.

Abstract: A cylindrical billet of superconducting material is enclosed by a copper sheath circumferentially, and by a lid and nose of copper at its longitudinal ends. A short cylindrical nose piece of lesser diameter than the billet, is attached at the billet's front end. At the rear end of the billet, an annular ring of copper is positioned. The billet is enclosed in a liner leading to a convergent conical die. Longitudinal force is applied by a ram to the annular ring, which pushes against the outer periphery of the billet at the rear end in a direction toward the die orifice. The stepped nose piece deforms against the die. During an initial period wherein no extrusion takes place, the nose piece exerts an opposite reactive force on the center of the billet, moving the center material toward the ram. As a result of these two opposite actions on the billet, the central longitudinal portion of the billet is pushed back (upset) toward the ram and deforms into the opening of the annular ring.

Abstract: A component 10 for making A15 Nb.sub.3 Sn superconducting wire is of plane-filling cross-section after removing temporary additions 6, 7. It consists of a central pillar 1 of aluminium (later replaced by tin) surrounded by a two-deep array of polygonal copper columns 2/2a containing niobium rods. Many (e.g. 61) components 10 are voidlessly stacked together and extruded. The niobium rods adopt and retain a uniform distribution with minimum intervening material. This "sixty-one" member retains its shape during the extrusion and is itself of plane-filling cross-section. Several of them are voidlessly stacked together and on heat-treatment of the whole, the tin diffuses over a relatively short path and hence consistently into the rods, whereby there is formed a kilofilament Nb.sub.3 Sn wire.

Abstract: A process for producing a superconductor wire made up of a large number of round monofilament rods is provided for, comprising assembling a multiplicity of round monofilaments inside each of a multiplicity of thin wall hexagonal tubes and then assembling a number of said thin wall hexagonal tubes within an extrusion can and subsequently consolidating, extruding and drawing the entire assembly down to the desired wire size.