Engineering Commons^™

Phase I Inspection Of The Stay Cable System On The Us 231 William H. Natcher Bridge Over The Ohio River, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle, Danny Wells, Bobby W. Meade, Jared Fairchild, Christopher Goff

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The US 231 Natcher Bridge was opened in 2002. By 2006 cracking was observed in the plastic piping that protected the stay cable strands from the environment at both the deck and tower anchorages. Over time the extent of cracking increased and an investigation was initiated to assess the types of deterioration impacting the cables, their causes and their impacts on the integrity of the stay cables.

From 2012-2015, a series of in-depth field inspections were performed using visual and nondestructive testing. Most of this work focused on the piping at the deck anchorages. The inspections disclosed voids in cable …

Periodic Nondestructive Evaluation Of In-Service Metal Bridges, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Metal bridges are subject to in-service fracture problems mainly caused by fatigue. This report considers the prevention of bridge failure by the performance of periodic nondestructive evaluations. Differences in visual and other nondestructive inspect ions are discussed. The use of preliminary inspection strategies for proper testing also is presented. The suitability of common types of nondestructive testing for bridge inspections also are included.