e-mosty June 2017: Osman Gazi B. US Suspension. Hålogaland B. e-mosty June 2017: Suspension Bridges | Page 17

Pulling of the strands was done symmetrically (one strand from the eastern side, then one strand from the western side of bridge). Adjustment of the strands length was also done during this time. The extra back strands leading from tower to anchorage were anchored at the tower saddle, see the picture 21 below. After all strands were pulled and adjusted the compacting of the cables was performed. This pressed all strand wires closer together and formed the oval shape of the cable. The void ratio (space between wires) of the cables was around 20%. This was done using the hydraulic compacting machines. The cables were then fitted with clamps, to which the hangers are attached. It was followed by installation of the hangers (vertical cables), on which the box girder will be attached. The hangers are also made from steel wires in the form of locked coil cable with three layers of z-shaped galvanised locked wires. The hangers are protected by 7mm HDPE sheathing. On both ends of the hanger there is a cast socket. The upper socket is attached to the cable clamp and the lower one is attached to the bridge deck. The hangers were also fabricated in workshop and then transported to the site. In the first four stages of construction (installation of strands, compacting, installation of cable clamps and installation of hangers) cables were parallel to each other. After the installation of the hangers, the cables were separated laterally from each other to form the final shape according to the design. The lateral shifting was done using the shifting beams and hydraulic jacks. At this stage, the main span´s catwalk was separated into two parts. Then the cable bundle was wrapped with a soft galvanised wire to maintain its shape. Even though the strands were tightly compressed, the cable still contained around 20% air. The cables will be dehumidified by injection of dry air. Figure 20: Cable clamps Figure 21: Anchorage of back strands at the tower saddle Figure 22: Compacting of the main cable 2/2017