With the aim of improving our knowledge of the structure and developing an even more refined preventive maintenance policy, as well as supporting research and development in complex fields, the Seine Estuaire Chamber of Commerce and Industry has signed an innovation partnership to develop a technique for monitoring the prestressing cables of the Pont de Normandie structure. Over time, these cables have suffered from a number of pathologies inherent to the construction technique used when the bridge was built.
Why sign an innovation partnership?
An innovation partnership is a win-win situation. It enables a public institution to call on innovative companies to meet a need it is trying to satisfy, without the existing solution yet being on the market. At the same time, it's an opportunity for innovative companies to test their solutions in real-life conditions before they are put on the market.
As part of this innovation partnership, the CCI Seine Estuaire has selected two candidates: the Quadric - Université Gustave Eiffel joint venture and the Laboratoire d'études et de recherches sur les matériaux (a subsidiary of the Setec group).
When the innovation partnership was launched, the objective assigned to the candidates was to develop a continuous and reinforced monitoring method for monitoring, quantifying and qualifying external prestressing cable wire failures in the Pont de Normandie structure.
The two companies will conduct their studies in parallel. The mission is broken down into several technical phases: laboratory research, then application to a representative sample of anchors before deployment of the technique on the entire structure if it proves conclusive.
"For us, this type of partnership is both a fantastic way of improving the monitoring of the structural ageing of the structure, and a great opportunity for innovative companies to test their solutions in situ, which in this project are 100 French %".says Claire Grivel, Director of Concessions at CCI Seine Estuaire.