Integrated ultrasonic testing and numerical simulation for damage detection in steel bridge deck pavements

Steel bridge deck pavements are prone to distresses like cracking and debonding due to traffic loading and environmental effects, posing risks to structural durability and safety. This study presents a hybrid approach for identifying damages in steel bridge deck pavements by integrating ultrasonic testing with multiphase numerical simulation. A viscoelastic wave propagation model is developed based on a modified Burgers formulation to characterize energy dissipation in asphalt mortar. A three-phase finite element model is constructed to examine the effects of aggregate size, porosity, and temperature on ultrasonic attenuation. The results show that larger aggregates increase scattering while having a limited influence on reflection amplitude, whereas increasing porosity leads to stronger attenuation and more fragmented wavefields due to enhanced scattering and energy dissipation. Lower temperatures improve signal stability, with 30 °C identified as the upper bound for reliable testing. Laboratory and field validation confirms the simulation predictions and identifies characteristic acoustic signatures for cracks and debonding. The proposed framework improves the reliability of ultrasonic interpretation and supports practical condition assessment of steel bridge deck overlays. • A combined ultrasonic and simulation method is developed for pavement damage detection. • A modified Burgers model captures viscoelastic attenuation and damage effects. • Experiments validate the method’s ability to identify cracks and debonding.