Experimental Analysis of a Nondestructive Corrosion Monitoring System for Main Cables of Suspension Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 7
Abstract
Corrosion of high-strength steel wires in a suspension bridge’s main cable has been attributed to the environment within the cable wrapping. A sensor network was developed to monitor and provide information in order to indirectly assess the environmental conditions and the deterioration of the interior of suspension bridge main cables. The overall functionality of both the individual sensors and the monitoring system was tested on a full-scale mock-up cable. The cable mock-up was covered in aluminum wrapping and an environmental chamber was built around it in order to subject the test specimen and sensor network to an aggressive corrosive environment created by cyclic temperature and humidity conditions. The temperature, relative humidity (RH), and corrosion rate levels were recorded by all sensors. The recorded data were analyzed in an attempt to determine general trends and correlations between the environmental variables themselves and their effects on corrosion rates. The recorded temperature fluctuations were highly dependent on the sensor depth within the cable; however, the RH levels were not. During cyclic testing, near-linear temperature increases and RH decreases were recorded close to the cable’s center. The baseline corrosion rate levels were affected by the RH levels, with significant increases in corrosion rates at RH levels greater than 50%. The temperature changes proved to impact the corrosion rates on a cyclic level, with high correlations between the temperature and corrosion rate readings recorded by linear polarization resistance corrosion rate sensors.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This study was sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under Contract No. DTFH61-04-C-00040 (program managers, Dr. H. Ghasemi and Dr. P. Virmani). The support and guidance of Dr. Ghasemi and Dr. Virmani are greatly appreciated. The continuous suggestions by Dr. Bojidar Yanev, New York City Department of Transportation, were also greatly valuable. The authors would like also to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. M. Carlos and Mr. R. Gostautas from Mistras Corporation for their help with the data acquisition system. A special thanks is extended to Dr. B. Laskowski, from Analatom Corporation, for his assistance with the LPR sensors.
References
AISC. (2011). Steel construction manual, 14th Ed., American Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago.
Analatom. (2011). “LPR corrosion sensor.” 〈http://www.analatom.com/lpr.html〉 (May 1, 2011).
ASTM. (1994). “Standard practice for modified salt spray (fog) testing.” G85-02, West Conshohocken, PA.
Barton, S. C., Vermaas, G. W., Duby, P. F., West, A. C., and Betti, R. (2000). “Accelerated corrosion and embrittlement of high-strength bridge wire.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 12(1), 33–38.
Betti, R., West, A. C., Vermaas, G., and Cao, Y. (2005). “Corrosion and embrittlement in high-strength wires of suspension bridge cables.” J. Bridge Eng., 10(2), 151–162.
Betti, R., and Yanev, B. (1999). “Conditions of suspension bridge cables: The New York City case study.” Transportation Research Record 1654, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 105–112.
Bohren, C., and Albrecht, B. (1998). Atmospheric thermodynamics, Oxford University Press, New York.
Cao, Y., Vermaas, G. W., Betti, R., West, A. C., and Duby, P. F. (2003). “Corrosion and degradation of high-strength steel bridge wire.” Corrosion, 59(6), 547–554.
Corr Instruments. (2011). “Localized corrosion analyzer multielectrode probe.” 〈http://www.corrinstruments.com/ins/corprobes.html〉 (May 1, 2011).
Eiselstein, L. E., and Caligiuri, R. D. (1988). “Atmospheric corrosion of the suspension cables on the Williamsburg Bridge.” Degradation of metals in the atmosphere, ASTM STP 965, S. W. Dean and T. S. Lee, eds., ASTM, Philadelphia, 78–95.
Furuya, K., Kitagawa, M., Nakamura, S., and Suzumura, K. (2000). “Corrosion mechanism and new protection methods of suspension bridge cables.” Struct. Eng. Int., 10(3), 189–193.
Hartt, W. H., Kumria, C. C., and Kessler, R. J. (1993). “Influence of potential, chlorides, pH, and precharging time on embrittlement of cathodically polarized prestressing steel.” Corrosion, 49(5), 377–385.
Haynes, G. S., ed. (1995). “Overview.” Cyclic cabinet corrosion testing Special Technical Publication 1238, ASTM, Philadelphia.
Hopwood, T., and Haven, J. (1984). “Inspection, prevention, and remedy of suspension bridge cable corrosion problems.” Kentucky Transportation Research Program Rep. U.K.TRP-84-15, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
Jones, D. A. (1996). Principles and prevention of corrosion, 2nd Ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Kele Precision Manufacturing. (2011). “Data Sheet HS-2000V RH & temperature sensor.” 〈http://www.preconusa.com/humidity/HS-2000V%20Data%20Sheet.pdf〉 (May 1, 2011).
Lawrence, M. G. (2005). “The relationship between relative humidity and the dewpoint temperature in moist air: A simple conversion and applications.” Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 86(2), 225–233.
Mistras Group, Inc. (2012). “Sensor highway II: Outdoor AE and sensor fusion system.” 〈http://www.mistrasgroup.com/products/company/Publications/2$Acoustic_Emission/Sensor_Highway_II.pdf〉 (Mar. 27, 2012).
Roberge, P. (2008). Corrosion engineering: Principles and practice, McGraw Hill, New York.
Sanchez-Galvez, V., and Elices, M. (1984). “On hydrogen-induced cracking in prestressing steel wires.” Proc., 5th European Conf. of Fracture (ECFS), EMAS, South Yorkshire, U.K., 1003–1014.
Shi, Y., Deodatis, G., Betti, R. (2007). “Random field-based approach for strength evaluation of suspension bridge cables.” J. Struct. Eng., 133(12), 1690–1699.
Stahl, F. L., and Gagnon, C. P. (1996). Cable corrosion in bridges and other structures: Causes and solutions, ASCE, New York.
Suzumura, K., and Nakamura, S. (2004). “Environmental factors affecting corrosion of galvanized steel wires.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 16(1), 1–7.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 7 • July 2013
Pages: 653 - 662
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 11, 2011
Accepted: Apr 10, 2012
Published online: Apr 12, 2012
Published in print: Jul 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.