Direct Joining Of Bscco Superconducting Glass-Ceramics Using A Flame-Melting Method

A new method for joining bismuth-based superconducting glass-ceramics has been developed; they are joined easily by melting-annealing with a liquid natural gas (LNG)-oxygen flame. Two edge portions of the glass-ceramics to be joined are melted by a high-temperature flame, and the molten faces are placed quickly against each other. Subsequently, the joined portion is annealed sufficiently with a soft flame, resulting in a unified product with no cracks. This technique is very important for fabrication of large-sized superconducting ceramics, such as bushing apparatuses.