Fretting-fatigue behaviour of bridge engineering cables in a solution of sodium chloride

Bridge engineering cables are subject to potential damage, mainly due to fretting-fatigue and corrosion. This paper deals with the study of drawn steel wires submitted to fretting-fatigue in a solution of sodium chloride. Experimental tests were conducted to reproduce the contact conditions in spiral strands undergoing free bending deformations and submitted to corrosion. Previous tests showed that lubrication and zinc coating improve the resistance of wires to fretting-fatigue. The results of fretting-fatigue tests in a NaCl solution are compared with those of fretting-fatigue tests carried out in air. In terms of lifespan, in the retained conditions, no significant influence of the NaCl solution is observed. The recorded tangential force shows stabilized partial slip regime after about 10,000 cycles. The observation of fretting scars and of fracture surfaces shows the presence of corrosion products.