Mechanical Properties of MgB2 Bulks

MgB2 is one of promising bulk superconductors because grain boundaries are not weak-links in this material and thus the uniform distribution of trapped magnetic fields is easy to obtain even for large samples. In the present study, mechanical properties of MgB2 bulks with different packing ratio have been evaluated through bending tests for specimens cut from the bulks. The mechanical properties of MgB2 bulks are significantly influenced by their packing ratio or connectivity, and the fracture strength can be improved by a factor of 5 by increasing the packing ratio to 90% or over.