Investigations on a degraded suspension bridge: damage characterization and rehabilitation

This paper describes the experimental investigations and the planned rehabilitation programme of Teil Bridge in France. Soon after the sudden rupture of a cable near the anchorage, the bridge was closed to traffic. Inspections were carried out to understand the sources of this event and to assess the performance of cables and strand sockets. Prior to rehabilitation, the bridge safety was improved by strengthening each socket; the bridge was then re-opened to pedestrians and cyclists only. An acoustic emission system was installed during a full year period; events related to cable ruptures were accordingly monitored. Meanwhile, several other experimental investigations on steel and concrete materials (resilience, tensile steel strength, carbonation and chloride ingresses) were led to estimate the residual structural service life of the bridge and to plan repair actions. A major rehabilitation program was then scheduled with the change of all cables and sockets. This paper presents the different stages of these investigations and the rehabilitation process.