Overview
The manufacturer of the clamping structures recommended investigating the clamping elements with respect to corrosion and possible wire ruptures after a certain service life of the structure (typically 5 to 10 years). In steel cables with a large diameter the visual examination of the object is even less reliable method. Too many information about the inner stress of the rope remains unknown during the purely visual inspection. Radiographic examination provides a much greater reliability, but is very time consuming and the radioactive substances are becoming less acceptable for use outside the laboratory.
The finite element calculations of the signal strength as a function of the location and size of the defects that need to be discovered.
Extend usability of the equipment which has already been developed for the study of the free length of cableways for use on steel cables.
To check a proposed approach to the study of the anchor area of big steel cables.
Funding
Results
Using computerized metrology a measurement system has been developed which allows further processing of collected data. In addition, the flexibility of the measuring device has been significantly improved. The newly developed algorithms can predicate captured data and retrieve more information about the exact location of defects in the free length.
System has been applied on the Rama IX Bridge in Bangkok.
Other results
Atricle:
Bergamini,A.; Christen,R., Zerstörungsfreie Untersuchungen grosser Stahlseile bei Schrägseibrücken. Forschungsauftrag AGB 2000/428 (93/00)
http://library.eawag-empa.ch/empa_publications/EMPA000485.pdf