Monitoring integrity and corrosion damage on stay cable bridge system in Mexican highways

One of the most significant problems in preserving the structural integrity of civil construction such as bridges, roads, decks, tunnels, is the corrosion phenomena. In 1985, NACE reported that in the United States, there were 300,000 bridges requiring cathodic protection (CP). This protection along with related repair work was projected to cost $ 23.1 billion. The use of stay cable bridges in Mexico has been expanding in the last 20 years; today already there are 10 stay cables in Mexico. Corrosion of steel is a complex phenomenon affected by many environmental factors and the location of these bridges around the country (sea zones, high humidity zones, etc). Many bridges over 20 years show deterioration due to corrosion. In 2010 the average age of cable-stay bridges in the Mexico was 17.5 years. As time passes, it is necessary that the bridges are inspected in a more acute way. Bridge deterioration can affect their safety and serviceability and result in loss of life or injury, traffic disruption and high user costs.