Parameter Selection for the Dehumidification System of the Main Cable of Suspension Bridge Based on Ventilation Experiments

Abstract

Moisture in the main cable is the main cause of steel wire corrosion. Modern suspension bridges utilize main cable dehumidification systems to prevent corrosion. The main cable ventilation experiment can help the selection of the system parameters. This research is based on the ventilation experiment of the main cable of Xihoumen Bridge to obtain the design parameters of the dehumidification system. According to the experiment, the suitable dehumidification distance is 150–180 m; the pressure loss of the main cable with a length of 150 m is 200–300 Pa, so the inlet pressure should be higher than 300 Pa; increasing the outlet clamp can increase the dehumidification efficiency; Under single inlet and double outlet situation, every 100% increase in air volume increases the dehumidification capacity is about 35%. The water content of the main cable of Xihoumen Bridge is 5.74 kg/m3, and 1 m3 of dry air can remove 5.5 g of water under experimental conditions, and the minimum air volume is 30 m3/h. The main factors affecting the dehumidification time are air volume and leakage rate. Input these parameters into the dehumidification system for the dehumidification experiment, and the water content of the outlet clamp will drop by about 37.5% within ten days.