Digital Twins in Roads, Bridges, and Civil Infrastructure: A Review

A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical asset, designed to simulate its real-world counterpart in a digital environment. In the context of transportation infrastructure, digital twins are rapidly gaining significance as a transformative technology due to their ability to enhance the reliability, efficiency, and performance of assets such as roads and bridges. By providing real-time insights into the status and condition of infrastructure, along with associated risk assessments, digital twins are increasingly being recognized as foundational tools for data-driven decision-making in infrastructure management. These models empower civil engineers to visualize and monitor the entire lifecycle of infrastructure assets, enabling the tracking of structural changes over time and facilitating detailed analyses to optimize asset performance and lifespan. This paper aims to introduce a novel perspective on the design, prototyping, and testing of digital twins for road infrastructure, with a specific focus on bridges and road networks. The methodology discussed in this paper integrates key elements such as stratigraphic analysis, surface condition monitoring, and structural integrity assessments of bridges to create comprehensive digital twins. We explore the potential for developing a holistic digital model that can assist in proactive maintenance, condition monitoring, and informed decision-making for infrastructure management. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to encourage global efforts towards more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective infrastructure maintenance, fostering innovations that can enhance the long-term performance and safety of civil infrastructure systems.

کلیدواژه ها:

Digital twin ، Infrastructure monitoring ، Asset management ، Road infrastructure