Environmental Testing

The operating conditions for aircraft can be extreme, including high temperatures from supersonic flight or orbiting craft, low temperatures of high altitude subsonic flight to hot wet climate of carrier borne military aircraft.

MERL is equipped with a range of environmental chambers that allow the following environments, either with or without mechanical loads:

• High humidity conditioning cabinet (1000 litre capacity, ambient temperature to 80°C, variable humidity plus salt spray/humidity cycles)
• Isothermal ageing ovens
• Environmental conditioning units with programmable temperature and moisture for fatigue conditions
• Ovens/Chillers -50°C to 220°C
• Conditioning vessels with temperature and pressure capability to accelerate the exposure to aerospace fluids such as Jet fuel, hydraulic oil, deicer, …