Abstract

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is a high rigidity suspension bridge, combining stiffening cables and

suspension cables. It features a 1.408 m central span and supports at the same time a railway and

a motorway with a 59 m wide deck.

The design of the stiffening cables for this bridge required several development to cater for the

exceptional needs of the longest and heaviest stay cable in the world. The usual strand grade

would not meet the project forces and 1960Mpa strands had to be qualified, for anchorage unit up

to 151 strands. Such qualification is however only the tip of the iceberg as many other tailor-made

components had to be developed.

Heavy duty deviators needed to be qualified for fatigue and wear and were an utterly important

part of the design. Long-stroke hydraulic pistons had to be qualified for performance, long-term

resistance to corrosion and ageing.

Keywords: Stay cable, damping, rotations, performance, qualification, methods.