Strength refers to the ability of a structure to resist loads without failure   because of excessive stress or deformation. Typical points of interest when testing a material include: ultimate tensile strength (UTS) or peak stress offset yield strength (OYS) which represents a point just beyond the onset of permanent deformation; and the rupture (R) or fracture point where the specimen separates into pieces.

In 2009, ADMET celebrated its 20th year in business by giving away, free of charge, a complete biomedical or biomaterials testing machine. Applicants were asked to submit information regarding on going research and explain why they deserved to win the Materials Testing System. ADMET awarded Jeffrey M. Karp, Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Advanced Biomaterials and Stem Cell Therapeutics at the Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology, Harvard Medical School and his team an ADMET eXpert 7601 1 kN Universal Testing System for Medical Adhesive Materials Testing. The ADMET materials tester was delivered in September-09 and is being used for testing biodegradable tape based medical adhesives according to ASTM D3983-98 Standard Test Method for Measuring Strength and Shear Modulus of Nonrigid Adhesives by the Thick-Adherend Tensile Lap. The committee chose the Karp Lab at MIT because of the importance of the biomedical testing system to the success of the overall project. The key to the success of biodegradable polymer based adhesives and other adhesive mechanisms from nature is being able to test and analyze the tensile strength, toughness, elasticity, plasticity, and brittleness.