Bridge Stay Cable Corrosion Protection. I: Grout Injection and Load Testing

Abstract

This paper is the first of two companion papers that cover the results of corrosion and structural testing of eight large-scale stay cable specimens. Four of the specimens had the traditional stay-cable corrosion protection system of portland cement (PC) grout and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheathing, whereas the second four specimens used improved protection systems such as epoxy-coated, galvanized, greased, and sheathed strand or an improved grout with silica fume in the grout. A unique accelerated corrosion testing technique developed for bridge stay cables is also described. Among other critical findings, it was found that the PC grout would crack within 2–3 days after the exterior sheathing was cut to simulate accidental breaks in the field. It was also found that precompressing the grout was not effective in reducing the amount and size of cracks in grout. In addition, it was found that the presence of grout did not significantly increase the axial or flexural stiffness of the test specimens.