Evaluating Digital Twin Technology and Internet-of-things Sensors for Informed Asset Management

As a transformative technology, “digital twins” have the potential to modernize and optimize bridge operation and maintenance, leading to improved asset management and bridge longevity. The value proposition for bridge owners is that in paying the upfront costs to build and maintain a digital twin of a physical asset, they can make better decisions and make better use of limited preservation funds. To realize these benefits, Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors are used to monitor critical infrastructure components and are integrated with other data streams (e.g., traffic, weather, lidar surveys), as well as more conventional inspection activities (such as visual inspection or non-destructive evaluation) to enable a rich, digital representation and historical record of real-world conditions. This proof of technology project will provide near real-time, integrated data on the conditions of a floating bridge in Washington State that can be used to inform operational decisions about bridge closures, send alerts to operations and maintenance personnel when anomalies and issues are identified by the sensors, and a provide historical record of bridge performance correlated to traffic and weather conditions with which to base future asset management decisions. The fundamental research questions for this project are what savings could be realized for the technology investment and what are the potential benefits of using this technology in terms of operations and maintenance. Additionally, several workshops are planned on cloud-based digital twins’ software and operation of IoT sensors. Both technologies have significant potential application in a modernized asset management framework, and these trainings would support talent development in the next generation of digital tools. If successful, this project would provide a blueprint for implementing this technology, at scale, to provide real-time monitoring data for modern transportation asset management.

    Language

    • English

    Project

    • Status: Active
    • Funding: $123750
    • Sponsor Organizations:

      Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)

      Florida International University
      10555 W. Flagler Street
      Miami, FL  United States  33174

      Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

      University Transportation Centers Program
      Department of Transportation
      Washington, DC  United States  20590
    • Performing Organizations:

      University of Washington, Seattle

      Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
      201 More Hall, Box 352700
      Seattle, WA  United States  98195-2700
    • Start Date: 20240102
    • Expected Completion Date: 20251231
    • Actual Completion Date: 0
    • USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

    Subject/Index Terms

    Filing Info

    • Accession Number: 01924840
    • Record Type: Research project
    • Source Agency: Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)
    • Files: UTC, RIP
    • Created Date: Jul 21 2024 3:08PM