MERL staff keep an active presence in Standards communities and participate in round robins to keep at the forefront of new developments. While MERL can and does conduct Standard test methods such as ASTM D30, ISO, CRAG and other methods. It is more specialised in developing new service performance related tests to simulate the loading on the composite more accurately than does a standard test. This often requires developing the test component, test fixture and test methods, often while incorporating specific environmental conditions. The service offered extends from initial materials evaluation and selection studies, through process characterisation, materials performance, component design and expected service life estimates.

These tests are carried out on the range of test equipment at MERL and include the following capabilities:

Tension/compression/torsion stiffness and strength
Standard and specialised prototype tests
Structural sub-component and sub-element tests
Fatigue, creep, abrasion, impact, hardness testing
Biaxial and multi-axial loading (up 250kN)
Mechanical testing at -55°C to 175°C
Hot/wet fatigue testing
Exposure to oil field and chemical processing fluids (including concentrated acids and alkalis) and environments up to 10,000psi and 250°C
Accelerated ageing and environmental conditioning bespoke to the application