Continuous production of superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O wire

The method for continuously producing superconducting Y--Ba--Cu--O wires described involves compaction of the oxide powder which has been pressed in either a Cu sheath using swaging or extrusion, decladding of the compact using 0.3M nitric acid and sintering of the compact. The wire produced using this method contained no observable transverse cracks and was electrically continuous. The 1 m long wire, of diameter approx 2.5 mm, had sufficient mechanical strength that when it was supported at both ends it sagged by 1 or 2 mm in the center but was far from fracturing. It would, however, fracture on being dropped from a height of 1 m. A few longitudinal cracks were observed along the side that had been in contact with a glass tube during sheath dissolution. It is felt that the process used can be simply modified to make it perfectly continuous by making a "stream" workshop.