Infrastructure: Maintenance & Inspection

Stay Cable Inspection

Basil Manoj

As cable stayed bridges are becoming common in India, the need to understand the inspection and maintenance of such bridges is
important in present scenario. This paper provides an overview on the methods and techniques used for inspecting the stay cables.
Also, it includes some of the non-destructive tests which are generally conducted on the stay cables are discussed in this paper.

Preface holes in HDPE, exposure& degradation of grout filler, broken

seals, broken transition joints, etc.
In a cable stayed bridge, inspecting and maintaining the stay
cables is an enormous and complicated task, as the wires/ Components Inspected
strands are hidden from the view of the inspectors posing
great difficulty. The high strength steel wire / strand used in Generally inspection of stay cable covers the following:
stay cable are vulnerable to fatigue and corrosion related - Inspection for any longitudinal or transverse crack on the
problems. The problems that could affect the performance outer surface of the stay cable
of stay cables are fatigue, corrosion, excessive vibration, etc.
In this article a brief overview on the inspection of stay cable
is presented.

Need for Inspection

The stay cables in the cable-stayed bridge need to be

inspected on regular intervals during the service period to
ascertain and guarantee its durability or to prevent them from
any type of damage. If any damage is detected in the stay Figure 2 Movable Platform for inspecting Anchorages
cable during inspection, special tests shall be conducted
depending on its severity. - Inspection for any bulging or damage on the outer surface
of stay cable
As the load carrying wires are not visually seen, it is not - Inspection of cross-ties and its connections for any
possible to conclude that the employed corrosion protection damage or irregularities
is functioning well. Even if inspection ports are opened at
- Inspection of dampers and its connections for its proper
selected locations in the stay cable and observed the condition
functioning or any sort of damage
visually, it is not sure that the corrosion or fatigue is localized
- Inspection of cable alignment for any waviness or
or for a small distance. In order to obtain a comprehensive
excessive sag
assessment on the challenges associated with accessing
the stay cable, detail visual inspection shall be implemented - Checking of stay cable angle
combined with the available best technologies. - Checking of force in stay cable
- Inspection of anti-vandalism tube for any deformation or
The general defects occur in the stay cable are rusting of damage
wires / strands and anchorages, water leakage in anchorage
- Inspection of stay cable anchorages and its components
zones, cracking/splitting of cable ducts / pipes, bulges or
for any damage or corrosion due to evidence of moisture
- Inspection of stay cable and anchorage connection for
any deformation or damage
- Inspection for any gap in the boots, clamps and neoprene
rings
- Inspection of stay cable inside the anti-vandalism tube for
any damage or deformation
- Inspection of all connections in the stay cable for its water
Figure 1 Cable Car for inspecting Stay Cable
tightness and any deterioration

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 Infrastructure: Maintenance & Inspection

- Inspection of drainage holes in the anchorages for its During the inspection, temperature should be recorded in the
proper functioning surrounding areas of the stay cables and its components.
Some of the general Inspection and testing methods are
Inspection and Testing discussed hereunder in this article:
Basic inspection is generally performed visually without any
Visual Inspection
tools or equipment. Detailed inspection is generally performed
visually and with tools & equipment at an interval of about five This is the only method of inspecting the stay cables in most
years. For inspection, stay cable and its components can be of the bridges. Inspection is done on the exterior surface of
accessed using Cable Cradle, Reach-all Truck, Crane with stay cables & cross-ties including connections, exposed
Passenger Basket, Lifts, Special Inspection Vehicles, etc.In surface of anchorages, dampers, boots and guide pipe
some special cases, the stay cable surface can be inspected visually at close range.The caps in the anchorages shall be
by closely viewing the cables using binoculars. removed and the condition of the wedges or button heads
shall be checked. Also any penetration of moisture inside the
anchorage shall be checked.

To inspect the wires in the stay cable, an inspection window

Figure 3 Mobile Crane Basket for inspection

Figure 5 Distortion in Stay Cable

Figure 6 Corrosion in Anchorage

Figure 4 Mobile Platform for inspection
can be cut through the protective HDPE ducts / layers. In case
To test the stay cable, there is no single method which will
of grouted cable, the grout is removed to expose the wire /
give fool proof data regarding the condition of stay cable.
strand and inspected.
Combination of tests has to be conducted together with
the knowledge and experience of the Engineer / Technician Inspection also includes measurement of cable sag using
who conducts the test and judges the result.Non-Destructive optical devices or through video or photo imaging. Stay
Testing shall be carried out on randomly selected stay cables cable inclination angle can be measured using inclinometer
using any appropriate method. at specific points.Boroscopic examination shall be done by

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 Infrastructure: Maintenance & Inspection

inserting special camera in the gap between the cable and the inspect the status signals of the inner wires in the stay cable,
guide pipe to check the condition of cable and the presence and the interfering signals are processed and the datais
of moisture if any. obtained. From the recorded data, image of the scatter field
is made along the axis of the cable which is then analyzed.
The surface of the stay cable can also be inspected by the
This method detects the exact location of wire fracture, initial
use of special camera that can move over the entire length of
corrosion and any other damage in the stay cable.
the cable which can be controlled from the ground.
Cable Force Measurement
Video Monitoring
By using Accelerometers and Non-contact sensors such
In this method, video cameras along with sensors and target
as laser vibrometers, stay cable force shall be measured to
tracking software are used to monitor the stay cable. The
determine whether global stiffness changes have occurred in
software captures the images through two cameras and
the cable.For measuring the force in the stay cable direct and
processes the same using photogrammetric algorithms and
indirect methods like lock-off-test andvibration analysis shall
transforms into three-dimensional coordinates, which is then
be carried out.
used to measure the sag in the stay cables.

Magnetic Flux Leakage

This is a non-destructive testing method which can identify

the location and extent of damage on the stay cable of
large diameter on its entire length and this method is more
reliable and cost-effective.This method consists of several
sensor units attached with two permanent magnets which are
attached to the stay cable at equal angles. When the magnetic
field is moved along the length of the cable, the sensors will

Figure 9 Inspection through Window Opening

Figure 7 Damage in HDPE Duct

Figure 10 Inspection of Guide Pipe, Damper & Boot

Ultrasonic Testing

In this method, an ultrasonic transducer is fixed at both ends

of the wire / strand in the stay cable at anchorage location,
and high frequency stress wave is transmitted into the wire
/ strand and the reflections are monitored. This testing is
more effective in individual wires rather than strand due to
Figure 8 Split in Neoprene Boot complexity in transmission of stress waves.

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 Infrastructure: Maintenance & Inspection

Radiography identify the specific acoustic event associated with the failure
of wire in the cable. This is a passive method to detect the wire
This method is non-destructive based on radiography using
breaks in the stay cable and this method detects the accurate
X-rays or Gamma rays which produces two-dimensional
location of wire break.It consists of sensors fixed at selected
images. This testing is generally done on the exposed
points, and if there is a wire breaks, the stress wave travel
anchorages to access their condition. As this test involves
in both directions along the length of the cable. The location
heavy equipment combined with huge cost and safety issues,
of wire break can be determined comparing the arrival time
it has limited use.
of shock waves at different sensors. The data acquisition
Acoustic Monitoring system acquires data from all the sensors which are then
reviewed at the processing center and the acoustic events
In this method the sounds in the cable are monitored to can be determined.

Structural Health Monitoring

Real time monitoring shall be done utilizing wide range / type

of sensors connected to the software.For vibration monitoring,
uniaxial accelerometer is used to capture in-plane vibration,
whereas biaxial accelerometer is used to capture both in-
plane and out-of-plane vibrations. According to the required
vibration modes of interest, sensors are selected to maximize
the desired response. These sensors are connected to the
high speed data acquisition system and monitored.

For measuring the tension in the stay cable, load cells or force
sensors shall be installed at desired location and the data can
Figure 11 Inspection of Dampers be obtained.In case of parallel strand stay cable, the load in

Figure 12 Inspection of Anchorage Components

Figure 14 Lift-off Test

Figure 13 Magnetic Induction Test Figure 15 Acoustic Monitoring

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 Infrastructure: Maintenance & Inspection

the single strand can be determined by Lift-off test. In this

method, mono jack is installed at desired strand location, and
the load of the jack is increased until the movement of the
wedge is observed.
Other Advanced Techniques

In order to achieve more rigorous and thorough inspection

of stay cables, advanced techniques can be used such as
Magnetic induction, Electrical resistivity, Dye penetrant, Strain
Measurements, Vibration Measurements, Impulse Radar,
Laser Vibrometer, Infrared thermography, Measurement of
stress ranges, etc.
References
1. Transportation Research Board, Synthesis 353, Inspection and
Maintenance of Bridge Stay Cable Systems, National Cooperative
Highway Research Program.
2. Michael S. Higgins, Health monitoring combined with visual
inspections Obtaining a comprehensive assessment of cables. Figure 16 Cable Frequency Test

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