Levitation Forces, Relaxation and Magnetic Stiffness of Melt-Quenched YBa₂Cu₃O_x

Abstract

Measurements of levitation forces on melt-quenched and free sintered YBa 2 Cu 3 O x superconductors show that melt-quenched samples produce forces from 96-170% higher than sintered specimens. The force increases are correlated with higher magnetization values for the melt-quenched material. Similar increases in the magnetic stiffness were also measured. Vertical levitation force relaxation showed less than 5% decrease in one hour. These results have important favorable implications for application to superconducting bearings.