We are doing science for policy
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission's science and knowledge service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy.
The LIquid Lead LAboratory (LILLA) offers testing of mechanical and corrosion properties of materials in liquid lead with controlled dissolved oxygen concentrations and for temperatures up to 650°C.
LILLA is situated at the Joint Research Centre in Petten (the Netherlands), and allows performing mechanical tests of materials in liquid lead with controlled dissolved oxygen concentrations for temperatures up to 650°C.
It gives the possibility to study liquid metal embrittlement phenomena / environmentally assisted cracking, and the effect of stress, temperature and oxygen content in lead on corrosion mechanisms, as well as to test the lead chemistry instrumentation.
Within the frame of this open call, the following facilities may be accessed:
Supporting 3D profilometry, microstructural analysis (light optical microscope /LOM/, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry /SEM–EDX/), and Vickers micro hardness (0.1 kg – 20 kg) can also be offered.
Access to the research infrastructure is granted on the basis of Access Units. For LILLA, the Access Unit corresponds to an 'AU', equal to 1 day of continuous operation of the facility.
The LILLA facility can be continuously operated with duration depending on the test programme, typically between 4 and 12 AUs. The latter is representative for performing a slow-strain rate tensile (SSRT) test in high-temperature liquid lead with controlled oxygen content.
12 AU corresponds to two tensile tests and two corrosion tests (without load), which can be conducted simultaneously.
It is expected that the User Institutions provide the test specimens.
The JRC may provide a financial or in-kind contribution to support Users to cover their costs of travel and subsistence (T&S) related to the User Stay Days, subject to the availability of funds, personnel and other resources to Users from User Institutions located in an EU Member State or country associated to the Euratom Research Programme (only Switzerland and Ukraine).
A User Stay Day is a day of physical presence of a User at the concerned Research Infrastructure for Access related to the User Access Project. A User Stay Day counts as a registered entry to the JRC site where the Research Infrastructure is located.
Long term stays are primarily for students and have a duration of at least 1 month. They are typically 3 to 9 months for Karlsruhe, and 1 to 6 months for Petten and Geel.
The Lead Used is welcomed to fill in the User travel and subsistence form and send it to JRC-OPEN-LILLA@ec.europa.eu by the closing date of the call. For more information the Lead User may contact the JRC Research Infrastructure at JRC-OPEN-LILLA@ec.europa.eu
or, if requested by the user or when users run the research infrastructure
Proposals will be evaluated in accordance to the following selection criteria:
The proposal must be prepared using the Relevance-driven Proposal Submission Form.
Please note that specimens need to be prepared by the user.
Please specify the level of experience of the user(s) to perform the related tests.
During preparation of the proposal, applicants are encouraged to:
The proposal should be submitted to JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESS@ec.europa.eu by the closing date of the call.
The User Selection Committee will only evaluate proposals that are complete and comply with the instructions in the proposal submission form.