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Bridges in Florida are exposed to high amounts of humidity due to the state's geography. This excess moisture results in a high incidence of corrosion on the bridge's steel support cables. Also, the inclusion of ineffective waterproofing has resulted in additional corrosion. As this corrosion increases, the steel cables, responsible for maintaining bridge integrity, deteriorate and eventually break. If enough of these cables break, the bridge will experience a catastrophic failure resulting in collapse. Repairing and replacing these cables is very expensive and only increases with further damage. As each of the cables is steel, they have strong conductive properties. By inducing a current along each group of cables and measuring its dissipation over distance, a picture of structural integrity can be determined. The purpose of this thesis is to prove the effectiveness of using electromagnetic techniques to determine cable integrity. By comparing known conductive values (determined in a lab setting) to actual bridge values, the tester will be able to determine the location and severity of any damage, if present.
A Thesis submitted to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science.
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references.
Advisory Committee
Rajendra K. Arora, Professor Directing Thesis; Simon Foo, Committee Member; Rodney Roberts, Committee Member; Petru Andrei, Committee Member.
Publisher
Florida State University
Identifier
FSU_migr_etd-8877
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