Investigations on the historical Széchenyi chain bridge

The Széchenyi chain bridge is an almost 170‐year‐old historical structure located in the downtown of Budapest, which has been reconstructed between 2020‐2022. The chain system of the bridge is more than 100 years old, and the rotational capacity of the pins is questionable due to corrosion and friction. This phenomenon significantly influences the static behavior of the chain elements and the entire suspending system. Therefore, connected to the renewal process, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Structural Engineering investigated the rotational capacity of the pins of the chain elements, and the corrosion grade of the chain bars. To investigate these two issues, three on‐site measurements are executed: (i) loading test to measure the bending moments in the chains and checking the rotation of the pins, (ii) one‐year‐long monitoring system operating during the renewal process and checking the internal force distribution of the structure during the reconstruction phases, and (iii) corrosion measurements on the chain bars. The paper introduces the measurement results, the main conclusions, and their practical application possibilities in the renewal process.