Digital Twin Technology Poised to Transform Road Engineering
A groundbreaking study featured in the journal Engineering highlights the transformative potential of Digital Twin (DT) technology in road engineering. Conducted by researchers from Tongji University and Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), the study reviews DT’s enabling technologies, which include model creation, condition sensing, data processing, and system interaction.
As the global road infrastructure sector grapples with digitalization, DT presents a promising solution. The research indicates that while significant progress has been made in areas like data perception and virtual model development, there is still much to uncover regarding real-time data processing and the synergy between physical and digital models.
DT’s applications span all lifecycle phases of road infrastructure, from planning and design to demolition and reconstruction. Notably, in the planning phase, DT enhances route selection and pavement design by integrating engineering data with environmental conditions. An instance of this is the urban road planning approach, implemented in Bromley, UK, utilizing the DT-MCDM-GIS framework.
During construction, DT aids in efficient resource management, quality assurance, and monitored progress, while in the operational phase, it plays a critical role in monitoring pavement health and facilitating maintenance. However, its use in demolition and reconstruction remains limited.
Despite its promise, challenges persist, including a lack of unified industry standards and diverse digital pavement modeling tools. The research emphasizes the necessity for enhanced data acquisition methods and real-time interoperability.
The authors advocate for standardized practices, innovative interaction techniques, and broader lifecycle application scopes to fully leverage DT technology’s advantages, ultimately leading to improvements in efficiency, safety, and sustainability in road engineering.
For more insights, access the full paper titled "Digital Twin Enabling Technologies for Advancing Road Engineering and Lifecycle Applications" here: Link.
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