• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Suspension bridge cables made of high strength steel wires require periodical maintenance in accordance with the axial force of cable-band bolts, since the bolts in suspension bridges can undergo tension decrease due to creep of cable wires, bolt relaxation, load fluctuation, and cable re-arrangement, etc. Consequently, this study is aimed at investigating and subsequently evaluating the critical factors with respect to the bolt tension-decrease phenomenon in SR suspension bridge in Korea, based on field monitoring, theoretical studies, and field record management works. From the observation, it is interesting to note that the decrease in the bolt tension force is typically accompanied by plastic deformation of the zinc plating layers in the cable wires. In addition, a framework corresponding to generic methodologies to characterize the deformation in terms of the bolt tension-decrease and long-term history management has been developed in this exploratory study.