Cable-Stayed Bridges: Case Study for Ambient Vibration-Based Cable Tension Estimation

Abstract

A cable-stayed bridge recently constructed by the Ohio Department of Transportation incorporates measures put forth by a Federal Highway Administration study to mitigate stay motion. In following recent trends, the stays at this bridge are built without the use of grout for the purposes of inspection and, if necessary, replacement. Several experiments were performed to determine the viability of using traditional vibration techniques, which assume an integral sheath, to estimate cable tension with this new configuration.