Corrosion Investigation & Testing of Post-Tensioned Cables, Fallis & Arnesen

The Post-Tech Corrosion Evaluation (CE) System provides a method for evaluating the potential for corrosion activity in un-bonded post-tension cables that if left untreated can be the cause of structural concerns with the un-bonded post-tensioned structures. This system has been successfully performed on several hundred structures in the past 15-years. It provides a method to restore the wet post-tension cables back to the environment for which they were originally designed. Un-bonded post-tensioned cables can not only be evaluated for their potential for corrosion, but also for identifying possible locations for un-bonded post-tension strand failure and the possible related structural deficiency.

The Post-Tech Cable Break (CB) system relies on the remanent magnetism method (RM-Method) to identify damaged or unsafe high strength individual or bundled pre-stress strands. This is a non-destructive test for evaluating the magnetic field or flux of externally magnetized tendons. Characteristic fracture readings of the magnetic leakage field are used to evaluate the extent of damage or amount of steel cross-section loss of the cables, which could include single or multiple wires in the strands. Wire or even strand fractures can happen abruptly and there are often no external visible signs of this type damage.  (read more)