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Single-grain GdBCO bulk superconductors have significant applications potential due to their ability to trap stable and large magnetic fields. The internal fracture of these bulk superconductors caused by Lorentz force and thermal load is a key issue in their practical applications. The aim of this work presented here is to investigate the mechanical behavior of the bulk superconductor during pulsed field magnetization. The H-formulation and heat transfer equation are used to obtain the electromagnetic force and thermal load in the bulk with and without defects. Numerical simulations show strong local enhancement of the electromagnetic load at the crack tips. Moreover, dynamic stress intensity factors at the crack tips are presented based on the two-dimensional state-based peridynamic theory. In addition, the crack propagation path is predicted. Finally, different dynamic crack problems are considered to discuss the influence of crack, void, inclusion, and hole on the mechanical stability of the bulk. Results show that defects increase the risk of damage of superconducting bulks.

Bulk high-temperature superconductors exhibit outstanding electromagnetic properties and are capable of trapping very large magnetic fields. However, bulk superconductors are subjected to a large Lorentz force during field cooling magnetization (FCM), which can cause crack initiation and propagation. Superconducting performance is then limited by the damage to the bulk. In this paper, we study the mechanical behavior and brittle damage of a three-dimensional (3D) bulk GdBCO superconductor during FCM. Firstly, the distribution of electromagnetic field in the bulk is obtained based on the H-formulation with a finite element model. Then, a 3D bond-based peridynamic (PD) model is used to simulate the mechanical behavior and possible brittle damage to the bulk under a given electromagnetic force. The initiation and propagation of cracks can be predicted using the 3D bond-based PD model. The effect of residual stress due to the presence of a reinforcement ring during the cooling process is also discussed. The results show that mechanical stability can be improved by reinforcing the sample.

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