DNV’s laboratory is equipped with a uniquely designed strong floor, enabling our experts to conduct large structure and full-size line pipe testing under well-controlled laboratory environments. With this capability, we assist our customers in:

  1. Qualifying pipeline materials: We assess the suitability of pipeline materials.
  2. Assessing strength and integrity of welded joints: Our tests evaluate the strength and integrity of welded joints.
  3. Validating design assumptions: We validate design assumptions using full-size geometry that represents actual applications. This approach provides more reliable results than small-scale or sub-size testing.


The tests we conduct include:

  • Resonance fatigue testing: This determines the fatigue strength of riser girth welds, drill pipe connectors, or couplers.
  • Four-point bend test of full-bore size line pipe: This test serves multiple purposes:
    • Assessing fracture and bending capacity of girth welds
    • Evaluating buckling capacity of the line pipe
    • Validating finite element modelling (FEM)
    • Evaluating the wrinkling tendency of the CRA (corrosion-resistant alloy) liner in mechanically lined pipes (MLP)
    • Qualifying line pipe corrosion protection coatings, field joint coatings, and concrete weight coatings.


Our lab testing can simulate various operating conditions, including internal pressure, operational temperature, past thermal history, installation strains, and anticipated operational strains.