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Materials Science Support Lab

Materials Science Support Laboratory

The Materials Science Support Lab. provides support to enable European materials engineers to make the best use of the advanced neutron and synchrotron X-ray scientific facilities at ILL-ESRF.

The Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) are respectively the leading European centres for research using neutron and synchrotron X-ray beams. They share a joint site and provide advanced research facilities for users from European universities, research institutes and industries.

The laboratory supports a variety of materials engineering applications. New users are helped to plan, undertake and evaluate experiments, and are assisted with data collection, processing and analysis. Industrial users can additionally be provided with a full measurement and data analysis service if required.

The Lab has shared equipment for loading testing:

  • hydraulic 50kN INSTRON rig also allowing for cyclic testing and induction heating (Tmax <1000 C)
  • compact load rig 15kN, possible to mount on cradle
  • Other Instron rigs at ESRF: ETMT (combined load and heating, 3kN, Tmax ~1500 C), 4kN hydraulic, 25kN hydraulic

It also provides facilities for sample polishing, hardness testing and optical microscopy.
A Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) and a portable metrology arm are available in order to proof or to benchmark the samples surface dimensions and/or distortion before actual neutron measurements, enhancing also faster alignment of complex/large components directly at the beam line. Other lab equipment from users may also be adapted to the beamline upon discussion with instrument responsible and safety approval. Users should users to get in touch with ILL scientists well in advance when designing the experiment in their proposal and eventually arrive to campus a day or two before the start of their beam time to enable these off-line preparations to be performed.