Condition assessment of stay cables based on laboratory tests and structural health monitoring

This paper presents a condition assessment approach of cables incorporating experimental deteriorated model and in-service loads collected by SHM system. The high-strength steel wires were placed under simulated corrosive media based on the Salt Spray Test Standards. The geometric feathers of the corroded steel wire surface were measured by to generate the uniform and pitting corrosion depth model. The long-term deterioration process of steel wires in the cables considers simultaneously the experimented uniform and pitting corrosion due to simulated environmental attack and the fatigue propagation induced by monitored cyclic stress. By employing first order reliability method, the reliability of the cables under the monitored responses is further estimated in terms of the serviceability specified in the design specification. The life-cycle condition assessment of stay cables provide guidance to the future decision making related to maintenance and replacement.