The Brooklyn Bridge.

[Roadbridge]

I saw this programme about the construction and history of the Brooklyn bridge over the weekend, part of it dealt with the scandal of substandard wire being used for the main cable.
Considering how old the bridge is now, what kind of condition is that cable in now?
How are such cables assessed in-situ?

 

[crossframe]

The substandard wire was left in place and "compensated for" by increasing the number of wires.

There is typically a sheath or wire wound around the circumference of the main cables to protect them. This can be removed and the individual bundles can be observed. I saw this on the Golden Gate Bridge about 15 years ago.

 

[broekie]

http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridgefacts.htm

Read the wire rope and cable sections near the bottom. This web site gives a tremendous amount of information about the bridge.