A rotor assembly for use in a superconducting electric generator comprising: a rotor core; and a superconducting winding comprising at least one conductor structure wrapped about said rotor core, said conductor structure comprising a plurality of conductive elements formed from a high temperature superconductive material, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of conductive elements is arranged in a transposed relationship, and a protective shell positioned about said conductive elements and formed from a high strength alloy suitable for cryogenic temperatures, wherein said conductor structure comprises a first dimension (T C1) extending between a first outer surface of a first portion of said protective shell and a second outer surface of a second portion of said protective shell, said first dimension (T C1) being generally transverse to said first and second outer surfaces (166A, 164A), said conductor structure further comprises a neutral axis positioned approximately mid-way along said first dimension (T C1) between said first and said second outer surfaces (166A, 164A) of said first and second protective shell portions (166, 164) and parallel to said first and second outer surfaces (166A, 164A), said conductor structure extending about at least one corner of said rotor core and having a minimum radius of curvature (R C1) extending from an origination point to said neutral axis of ΔR/S, where ΔR is the distance of an outermost surface of an outermost conductive element within the conductive structure from the neutral axis, and S is the maximum tensile strain for the outermost conductive element, wherein said first outer surface of said protective shell first portion is positioned nearer to said radius of curvature origination point than said second outer surface of said protective shell second portion, wherein said second portion of said protective shell has a thickness (T S1) greater than a thickness (T S2) of said first portion of said protective shell such that said neutral axis is offset between a first inner surface of said first portion of said protective shell and a second inner surface of said second portion of said protective shell toward said second inner surface, wherein a greater number of said conductive elements are in compression than in tension where said conductor structure extends about said rotor core corner. a rotor core; and a superconducting winding comprising at least one conductor structure wrapped about said rotor core, said conductor structure comprising a plurality of conductive elements formed from a high temperature superconductive material, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of conductive elements is arranged in a transposed relationship, and a protective shell positioned about said conductive elements and formed from a high strength alloy suitable for cryogenic temperatures, wherein said conductor structure comprises a first dimension (T C1) extending between a first outer surface of a first portion of said protective shell and a second outer surface of a second portion of said protective shell, said first dimension (T C1) being generally transverse to said first and second outer surfaces (166A, 164A), said conductor structure further comprises a neutral axis positioned approximately mid-way along said first dimension (T C1) between said first and said second outer surfaces (166A, 164A) of said first and second protective shell portions (166, 164) and parallel to said first and second outer surfaces (166A, 164A), said conductor structure extending about at least one corner of said rotor core and having a minimum radius of curvature (R C1) extending from an origination point to said neutral axis of ΔR/S, where ΔR is the distance of an outermost surface of an outermost conductive element within the conductive structure from the neutral axis, and S is the maximum tensile strain for the outermost conductive element, wherein said first outer surface of said protective shell first portion is positioned nearer to said radius of curvature origination point than said second outer surface of said protective shell second portion, wherein said second portion of said protective shell has a thickness (T S1) greater than a thickness (T S2) of said first portion of said protective shell such that said neutral axis is offset between a first inner surface of said first portion of said protective shell and a second inner surface of said second portion of said protective shell toward said second inner surface, wherein a greater number of said conductive elements are in compression than in tension where said conductor structure extends about said rotor core corner.