Non-Destructive Testing of Bosphorus Bridges

Abstract

The two suspension bridges over the Bosphorus Strait, namely Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet (FSM) Bridge form a vitally important link for the economy of Istanbul, Turkey and the Eastern European region. On the Bosphorus Bridge, the majority of its traffic is light vehicles and over 100.000 vehicles pass a day in each direction; heavy goods vehicles were wisely banned in the 1990s following the opening of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. This restriction on Bosphorus Bridge is intended to be maintained in future. This situation strengthens the importance of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge for Turkish economy until the third bridge is constructed. The indispensable roles of these bridges necessitate safe operation throughout their lifetimes. To investigate the needs for safeguarding these long form the behaviour analysis along with general and local surveys of these structures. In the content of the studies, a variety of NDT tests were targeted at different parts of the bridge elements, and have been conducted as part of a major investigation into the bridges. The NDT tests performed included; Magnetic Flux Leakage Tests and Radiographic Tests at hanger sockets and Dye Penetrant Testing / Magnetic Particle Testing of the welding, non destructive testing on the concrete parts in anchorage rooms comprised of Schmidt Hammer Tests and Carbonation Depth Tests of ­concrete. The findings of these NDT tests have been also evaluated to be used in determination of remaining life of the structures together with other studies performed.