Assessment of Cable Maintenance Technologies for Honshu-Shikoku Bridges

Abstract

A dry-air injection system developed as a new anticorrosion method for the suspension bridge cables used in Honshu-Shikoku Bridges has been implemented. In this paper, applicability of this system to existing suspension bridges employing traditional anticorrosion measures, as well as to newly constructed ones, is reported. Along with this development, several suspenders in a suspension bridge, which had been in service for 17 years, were opened up for inspection. A characteristic pattern of corrosion was observed in this investigation. Also, nondestructive inspections of bridge suspenders based on principles of magnetism were carried out on-site and indoors. Effectiveness of this nondestructive inspection method is discussed in this paper, referring to comparisons between the results of the exposed inspection of suspenders and those of nondestructive inspection.