Influence of multiple holes on the magnetic properties of YBCO superconductor

Bulk $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-{\delta}}$ (YBCO) superconductor was manufactured with the top-seeded melt grown method. The 9, 16, and 25 holes, as small as 0.7mm in diameter, parallel to the c-axis were mechanically drilled. Magnetic flux mapping and levitation force were measured and compared to estimate the influence of multiple holes on the magnetic properties of YBCO superconductor at 77K. According to the measurements, the maximum magnetic flux density obtained from the plain sample was 2.48kG, while the maximum magnetic flux density of the sample with 25 holes was low as around 2.29kG. The levitation force measured on the sample with 9 holes increased from 91N to 105N. The levitation force measured on the samples with 9 holes is relatively higher than the plain sample without any holes. In this case, increase of the levitation force in the perforated samples could be explained by enhancement of the cooling efficiency more effectively. We investigated that the magnetic properties of YBCO superconductor were strongly influenced by the artificial holes.