Virtual Representations of Physical Assets – a literature study about Digital Twins from the perspective of application in aviation's retrofit

Abstract

The concept of a virtual representation of a physical asset can be traced back to the sixties and is currently widely found under the term Digital Twin. Today, increasingly more implementations of this concept in a variety of applications occur, each with individual boundary conditions and views. Aviation and, especially its retrofit, face the need for such representations but also, its very own circumstances. After giving a brief introduction to the world of aviation, its cabin-retrofit and the need for a good virtual representation of aircraft, the history of the concept of Digital Twins is presented. A literature study results in an overview of current definitions, and research domains but also occurring challenges. The results are contrasted with the perspective of aviation's cabin-retrofit and an assessment of the definitions and terminology is given.