Rare-earth-based copper oxide (REBCO) is a superconducting material capable of carrying large amounts of electricity with no resistance, with applications in devices such as fusion reactors, particle accelerators, and other magnetic field applications. Our purpose in this study is to investigate the degradation of REBCO tape under cyclic loading conditions similar to those encountered in real-world magnetic applications. Fatigue measurements of REBCO tape have shown that the tape can withstand 10000 cycles with 580 Mpa for a specific manufacturer. To test these loading parameters, an Instron tensile tester was used, with copper pieces placed on the upper and lower jaws to sandwich the REBCO samples and reduce the localized axial load from the jaws. Ten thousand cycles per sample were performed on each REBCO sample with a specified maximum and minimum load; thereafter, the samples were etched and imaged with a scanning electron microscope to assess the integrity of the REBCO layers. These results will aid to identify potential fatigue-related failures of REBCO tape and validate their reliability in cyclic loading conditions.
