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Maintenance and Inspection of Stay Cables using prestressing steel at a

German Bridge

Conference Paper · June 2008

DOI: 10.1201/9780203885307.ch83

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Maintenance and Inspection of Stay Cables using prestressing steel at a
German Bridge
Christian Gläser, Hermann Weiher
Department of concrete structures, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany

ABSTRACT: In the past all large stay cable bridges in Germany were built with locked wire ropes. For a new
project, Ziegelgraben-Bridge crossing the “Strelasound”, the contract award also had allowed offers with stay
cables using prestressing strands for tendoring. Before executing the bridges with stay cables using prestress-
ing strands special requirements for the life time of the bridge were defined to ensure the durability and sus-
tainability of the structure. The exchangeability of a stay cable as well as of a single strand has to be possible.
The possibility for load measurements has to be given. Ducts and corrosion protection systems shall be visita-
ble. Exchangeability had to be verified with special tests. For load measuring direct (lock-off-test) and indirect
methods (vibration analysis) were applied. For vibration analysis reference measurements were performed af-
ter completion of the bridges. As most of the ducts of stay cables using prestressing steel have an outer helix
to reduce vibrations common methods for visual inspection with cameras had to be modified. After the test
methods had been planned a maintenance manual was created which defines the inspection periods as well as
type and number of tests for the inspection period. By this an effective maintenance of the stay cables with ad-
equate durability and safety shall be guaranteed.

1 PROJECT prestressing strands were enquired. The tender in-

cluded an extensive and detailed description that al-
1.1 Preface so contains the conditions for a specific project ap-
First, it was planned, that locked wire ropes shall get proval.
installed as stay cables for the bridge crossing the
1.2 Bridge crossing the Strelasound (Baltic Sea)
“Ziegelgraben”, an anabranch of the Strelasound
(Kleinhanß, et. al 2007). Referring to the tender, the The stay cable bridge crossing the Strelasound was
contractor submitted a design proposal, to use pre- constructed with a total length of 583 m and a main
stressing strands instead of strand stay cables. span of 198 m (see Figure 1). The steel superstruc-
In history locked wire ropes were almost exclu- ture with width of 16 m is connected to the pylon by
sively used for all stay cable bridges in Germany. cables arranged in harp-shape in two plains. The py-
This type of cable consists in the core of round non lon is 128 m in height.
alloyed steel wires and outside of shaped non alloyed
steel wires. The biggest cable that has been manufac-
tured in Germany until now has a diameter of
167 mm and a load capacity of 30 MN. The buildup
of the cables, that have a big inner surface, requires a
durable inner corrosion protection. This corrosion
protection has to offer also a lubricating effect to de-
crease the internal friction of the single wires. The
corrosion protection is done by galvanizing. Addi-
tional coating by polyurethane increases the protec-
tion on the outer surface of the cable. This coating
has to be renewed several times in the life-time of a
stay cable bridge.
In the tender for the construction of the bridge
crossing the Strelasound it was first time in Germany
that beside the locked wire ropes also cables using Figure 1. Cables of the bridge crossing the Strelasound.
1.3 Approval procedure
The German approval body (Deutsches Institut für
Bautechnik, DIBt, Berlin) was charged to establish
an experts’ report, based on that the specific project
approval could be given (Schellenberg 2006). On
1) Wedges 2) Ring Nut 3) Compression Tubes
basis of the requirements of the tender and the regu- 4) Sealing Plates 5) Spacer 6) Compression Plate
lations of the fib-recommendations (fib 2005) the 7) Elastomeric Bearing 8) Clamp 9) Cap
DIBt together with an expert team defined require- 10) Anchor Block 11) Bearing Plate 12) Strands
13) Recess Pipe 14) Exit Pipe 15) Filler Material
ments for the specific project approval: 16) HDPE Sheathing
 static and fatigue tests on the single strands Figure 2. Detail of the anchorage zone of a stay cable type
 full scale tests (fatigue tests with subsequent stat- 
DYNA-Grip using prestressing strands.
ic loading) on a stay cable specimen (full scale
test)
 water-tightness-test on the anchors 3 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGN AND
 exchangeability of single strands under service ERECTION OF THE BRIDGE
load of the cable
 identity tests 3.1 Static tensile tests and fatigue test required for
 proof of transversal and longitudinal stresses in the approval
the anchor area
 details for construction After a lot of fatigue tests and static tensile tests on
 assembly of the stay cables and recording of the single strands had been performed according to the
prestressing test-program coordinated with the DIBt three full
 quality control scale tests (fatigue tests with subsequent static ten-
 evidence or prevention of cable vibrations sile loading) on a DYWIDAG stay cable DYNA-
 measurements Grip DG-P 37 with 37 strands were carried out. The
 Monitoring measures tests took place between November 2004 and March
2005 at the laboratory for structural engineering of
Technische Universität München (TUM, Munich)
2 STAY CABLE SYSTEM according to the fib-recommendations (fib 2005).

32 stay cables DYWIDAG DYNA Grip type DG-P

37 with 34 strands each support the superstructure in
the area of the large spans of the bridge crossing the
Strelasound. All strands have a steel cross section of
150 mm2 and a characteristic tensile strength fpk =
1770 N/mm2. In the anchors, there is free space for
three extra strands to offer the possibility of
strengthening later. Altogether 150 t of strands were
installed at the bridge crossing the Strelasound.
The stay cables have a stressing anchor (consist-
ing of an anchor-block with an adjustable ring nut) at
Figure 3. Machine for testing fatigue and static properties of
the side of the superstructure and a dead anchor at
stay cables at Technische Universität München, Munich
the pylon-side. All anchors include sealing elements
to avoid infiltration of water in the wedge area (see
TUM was selected because it is the only institution
Figure 2)
in Germany that has an appropriate testing machine
As tensile elements 7-wire cold-drawn strands Ø
(see Figure 3) and has long-range experience (Zilch
15.7 mm, hot-dip galvanised and waxed, PE-coated
& Gläser 2001) in testing of stay cables (testing for
are used. They are anchored with three part wedges.
68 stay cable bridges all over the world).
To reduce transversal bending effects in the anchor-
On basis of these tests the S-N-curve for the ca-
age zones, because of traffic, wind and temperature,
bles could be verified. By these assumptions the fa-
an elastomeric bearing element is inserted which al-
tigue verification was done considering a design life
so has a damping effect and bundling function of the
of 100 years.
single strands (see Figure 2).
The whole strand bundle is surrounded by an al- 3.2 Exchangeability test
loy-coloured HDPE duct with an external helix,
which has to prevent the occurrence of rain-wind in- One advantage of stay cables using prestressing
duced vibrations (Caetano 2007). strands compared to locked wire ropes is the possi-
bility to exchange single strands of the bundle. Be-
cause of the corrosion protection of the strands con-
sisting of two barriers, which is furthermore pro-
duced in a factory, and a complex quality assurance
concept on the production of strands, a fracture of
the single strand seems nearly impossible. Neverthe-
less, the possibility of exchange was checked within
the approval tests. In a test it was shown that a single
strand of a cable DYNA Grip type DG-P 37 could
be exchanged under load.
Figure 4. Exchange of a single strand in a test
After stressing again to service load, the tightness of
the anchors was demonstrated by vacuum test. An
inner strand was chosen for exchange. It could be
removed without any problems. After removing the
wedge, the strand could be pulled out and simulta-
neous the new strand could be inserted.
3.3 Monitoring during construction of the bridge
With regard to the special exposures, a large moni-
toring- and measuring-program was installed at this
stay cable bridge. In the period up to the start of ser-
vice it was the aim to assure the assumptions of the
planning, as well as to establish a database for the
future inspections and the maintenance.
Throughout the design the connection devices to
the superstructure for the retrofitting with cable
dampers were already provided. By permanent
measuring of the cable vibrations of the longest ca-
bles seawards it was detected, that additional meth-
ods for damping must be considered. Therefore both
horizontal and vertical vibrations in the lower part of
the cables were recorded (Kleinhanß 2007).
Figure 1 shows some recordings of horizontal
vibrations on a cable with an amplitude in the mid-
dle of the cable of about 90 mm, which was induced
by wind with wind force 4 in longitudinal direction
of the bridge. After first analysis, vertical vibrations
also occur on moderate wind force but transversal to
the bridge. A correlation of windstorms with the ca-
ble-vibrations has not been detected until now.
Figure 5. Cable vibrations, measuring unit (Kleinhanß 2007).
By these first results it was decided to do vibra-
tion analysis also in future. The measurements can
also be used to calculate the cable force.
4 ACCEPTANCE OF THE QUALITY OF THE
STRUCTURE
The owner of the bridge has considered that within
the acceptance procedure a first main inspection has
to be made by a competent inspector. During the first
main inspection the relevant data of the structure and
the stay cables have to be detected for inspections in
the future.
Additionally to the required inspections according
to the national inspection code DIN 1076, the fol-
lowing tasks have to be done:
 Inspection of the arrangement of the anchorages
at the superstructure and at the pylon
 Recording of the actual stay cable-forces and
comparison with the calculated forces
 Recording of the temperature (surrounding, bear-
ing structure and stay cable during the inspection)
5 SUITABILITY OF INSPECTION METHODS
A lot of testing methods are available for stay cables
consisting of full locked wire ropes. Some of them
have to be modified for stay cables using prestress-
ing steel.
5.1 Inspection of ducts by camera
On the surface of the ducts a special helix is ar-
ranged to avoid rain- and wind-induced vibrations.
Caused by this helix the surface of the ducts is not
smooth and it is not easy to use common devices to
travel on the stay cables. For the travelling on stay
cables, a device produced by the company Alpin
Technik and Ingenieurservice GmbH, which can be
moved over the free length of the cable, was tested.
The device is controlled from the ground. Cameras
were installed on this device to check the status of
the ducts and their couplers.
5.2 Cable testing using magnetic induction
Regular tests on full-locked wire ropes can show
early the deterioration progress. Magnetic-inductive
tests of the free cable lengths respectively supersonic
tests on the anchorages were performed. Depending
on the diameter of the cable, the EMPA respectively
the DMT has developed different types of devices
for the magnetic-inductive cable tests. This system
was developed especially for cables with large diam-
eters due to small filling ratios, like stay cables using
prestressing steel. This system is especially devel-
oped for cable constructions which have a large ca-
ble-diameter caused by their small filling factor. For
diameters of cables up to 250 mm reliable test re-
sults can be achieved.
Figure 6: Cable testing using magnetic induction.
The stay cables were tested by the measuring de-
vice travelling along it (see Figure 6). Initially the
voltages developed by the hall probes are measured
and recorded in defined steps along the cable. The
image of the scatter field is made along the axis of
the cable. Besides of wire fractures also initial corro-
sion can be detected.
It could be shown that the method can also be
used for stay cables using prestressing steel.
5.3 Lift-off test on a single strand
To determine the load of a single strand of a cable,
first of all the anchor cap has to be removed.
Figure 7: Preparation for lift-off test.
To reach the anchor a bridge soffit inspection de-
vice was used. After the cap was lifted (see Figure 7)
the wax used for corrosion protection was removed.
A steel ring was pushed over one end of a strand
so that the wedge was surrounded. A monostrand
jack was seated on this steel ring. Then the load of
the jack was increased until movement of the wedge
was observed (see Figure 8). This procedure was re-
peated for all strands of the cable. Then the anchor
cap was mounted again and was re-filled with wax.
The measured load agreed very well with the calcu-
lated load.
Figure 8: Lift-off test.
6 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
6.1 Preface
During the life cycle of the bearing structure, the stay
cables have to be inspected and observed regularly
according to DIN 1076 to guarantee their bearing
capacity and durability or to prevent them from
damages. If unexpected results during random in-
spections are made, the amount of testing has to be
increased. If damages are detected, special tests de-
fined by the owner of the bridge will be required.
In the inspection manual, the main features of in-
spection and maintenance of the stay cables after the
completion of the bridge have to be described. For
this manual the results of the suitability testing of the
different methods (camera inspection, magnetic in-
duction, lift-off-tests) had been considered. This
manual includes:
 General instructions about the building and the
stay cable-system that was used
 Schedule of the inspection and the structural
monitoring
 Type and number of tests and monitoring
measures (at basic inspection, detailed inspection
or extraordinary inspection)
 Maintenance work on the stay cables and their
components
 Documentation
The documentation about the life-cycle of the stay
cable, that has to be archived during the life-time of
the building, must include at least the following in-
formation:
 Date of the inspection and name of the inspector
 Description of the inspection and the nomencla-
ture of the stay cables
 Data, detected damages and photos of the damage
that were collected during the inspection
 Used tools and methods
6.2 Basic Inspection
During the basic inspections the whole bearing struc-
ture is examined in particular with regard to the stay
cables as well as the anchorage area at the pylon and
the superstructure. The basic inspection which is
performed visually and without any tools has the fol-
lowing steps:
 Inspection of the correct state and position of the
ducts, welding, deviation elements clamps, damp-
ing devices
 Inspection for spots, leakages or deformations on
the anchorage,
 Inspection of the integrated monitoring system
6.3 Detailed Inspection
Detailed inspections will be performed according to
DIN 1076 in intervals of six years. Type and number
of the inspection activities are defined in the mainte-
nance manual. In additional to the basic inspection,
the detailed inspection should include the following
inquiries:
 Visual check of the surface of the ducts (e.g. by
cameras)
 After the random dismantling of the anchor-caps,
the anchor-heads have to be examined, whether
signs of water, modification or leaking of the fill-
ing material, can be observed. If unexpected re-
sults during random inspections are made, the
amount of testing has to be increased. Opened an-
chor-caps have to be closed professionally.
 Tightness of the couplers of the duct
 State of the deviation elements, damping devices
and clamps
 Corrosion protection of the anchorage and trans-
mission areas
 State of the installed drainages in the anchorage
and transmission areas
 State of the bearing elements
 Random, non-destructive inspection of the stay
cables, can be made via magnetic or other appro-
priate non-destructive testing methods
 Random lift-off-tests of the anchorage or at single
strands with an appropriate jack at opened an-
chorages
 Random check of the Eigen frequencies
6.4 Extraordinary Inspection
The program of the extraordinary inspection has to
be adapted to the special task.
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7 CONCLUSIONS
The good experience of Strelasound Bridge initiates
to execute an additional pilot project with stay cables
using prestressing steel. This second bridge is exe-
cuted at the moment near Wesel. It crosses the river
Rhine. The durability and long-term-behaviour of
the cables using prestressing steel will be observed
in the following years. Thereby it will be shown, if
the requirements defined in the maintenance manual
contain the main features that have to be considered
for inspection and maintenance.
8 REFERENCES
Gläser, Ch., Zilch, K. 2005. First German Application with stay
cables using prestressing strands according to fib-
recommendations. Proceedings of the 6th Japanese Ger-
man Bridge Symposium, Munich.
Gläser, Ch., Scheibe, M., Zilch, K. 2007. Die 2. Strelasundque-
rung – Erste deutsche Anwendung von Parallellitzenseilen.
Bauingenieur 98, Heft 4, pp. 8-16, Berlin: Springer.
Fédération internationale du béton (fib). 2005. Recommenda-
tions for the acceptance of Stay Cable Systems, using Pre-
stressing Steels. fib-Bulletin 30.
de Sá Caetano, E. 2007. Cable Vibrations in Cable-Stayed
Bridges. SED 9. Zurich: IABSE.
Kleinhanß, K., Romberg, M., Saul, R., Schmidt-Hurtienne, B.
2007. Die 2. Strelasundquerung mit der Schrägseilbrücke
über den Ziegelgraben. Bauingenieur 98, Heft 4, pp. 17-29,
Berlin: Springer.
Schellenberg, T. 2006. Innovation im deutschen Großbrücken-
bau durch Zustimmung im Einzelfall – Erstmalige Anwen-
dung von großen Schrägkabeln aus Litzenbündeln. DIBt-
Mitteilungen 66, Heft 3, pp. 100-110, Berlin: Ernst&Sohn.
Zilch, K., Gläser, Ch. 2001. Developments in Testing Stay Ca-
bles. Proceedings of IABSE Conference on Cable-
Supported Bridges – Challenging Technical Limits. Seoul.
Gläser, Ch., Zilch, K. 2007. Tests for German applications with
stay cables using prestressing strands according to fib-
recommendations: Bridges crossing the Strelasund and the
river Rhine near Wesel. Proceedings of SEMC’07 – The
Third International Conference on Structural Engineering,
mechanics and computation. Capetown.
Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN). 1999. DIN 1076 - En-
gineering structures in combination with roads; inspection
and test. German standard, Berlin.
DMT-Prüflaboratorium für Zerstörungsfreie und Zerstörende
Prüfung - Seilprüfstelle. Hochfeste Zugglieder in abge-
spannten Bauwerken. Information sheet of DMT. 2007, Es-
sen.