this paper reports the results of experimental measurements and numerical studies of deformations and stresses arising in 2G REBCO CC (Second Generation Rare-earth Barium Copper Oxide Coated Conductors) superconducting tapes, the use of which is recommended internationally for power grid devices such as Superconducting Fault Current Limiters (SFCLs) and superconducting cables. These tapes are multilayer systems consisting of materials with different physical and mechanical properties.

Brought to cryogenic temperatures in the test and use configurations, the tapes are subjected to thermomechanical stresses and strains that, if they exceed certain limit values, can cause irreversible degradation of both the electrical and mechanical performance of the tape, such that it is rendered unusable.

This report describes the study of the behavior of a new type of superconducting tape. Experimental strain measurements, from which related stresses were calculated, were performed using strain gauge techniques. Improvements were made in the application of these techniques, for example, with regard to the strain gauge installation method and temperature control during measurements, smaller strain gauges were used to obtain more precise measurements, and linear configurations were experimented with geometry designed to minimize the thermo-mechanical stresses occurring in the tapes at the points of greatest concentration.

The stresses derived from these measurements are found to be well below the yield and irreversibility limits of the tape under study and tapes of similar architecture. By means of extensometry, the coefficients of thermal expansion of some components of the tape-constraint system at cryogenic temperatures were also calculated, such as the copper clamps and the G10 fiberglass that make up the constraint, as well as that of the tape itself.

In addition, the report includes numerical simulations of the thermoelastic behavior of the tape performed considering its multilayer structure and using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. In particular, stress trends along the thickness of the tape were determined. Studies were developed for choosing more appropriate and realistic boundary conditions to be used in the simulations.

The experiments and numerical simulations conducted here, which are susceptible to further investigation and development, have provided additional knowledge on the subject, which, to the authors’ knowledge, is not yet found in the relevant scientific literature.