Use Of Digital Twins Research Articles

A study on the use of digital twin in wind generator gears

With the demand for clean energy is increasing, wind power generators are becoming more common. Although the wind power generation industry has broad prospects for development, there are still problems in wind generator maintenance, especially faulty detection and repair. In order to increase the efficiency of maintenance, the digital twin technology can be used. The mathematical model and the fault tree can help to spend less time alarming. In this article, the use of digital twin in the maintenance and faulty detection of wind generators is analyzed. The methods of faulty detection and the model of fault tree in the maintenance of the wind generator are summarized. In addition, a faulty detection method is proposed through YOLOv5. This method can detect the fault without contacting the gears. The database of faulty detection can be optimized as well. This article may offer a reference for digital twin and fault detection in wind generators.

The use of digital twins for waste estimation in nuclear facilities' dismantling and decommissioning: the PLEIADES project

Abstract. Nowadays, a considerable number of nuclear power plants worldwide have reached or will reach the end of their lifespan and will need to be dismantled within the next few decades. Dismantling and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities is a challenging, complex, and hazardous task that was never foreseen before the first reactors' shutdowns. As part of D&D activities, the waste minimization and waste management have an essential interest. The EU-funded PLEIADES (PLatform based on Emerging and Interoperable Applications for enhanced Decommissioning processES) project gathers 14 partners (academics and research organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and industrial companies, and a Technical Safety Organization) representing different stakeholders and providers of the nuclear dismantling domain. Coming from seven European countries, they join forces to demonstrate an innovative digital approach and a new methodology for improving selected key tasks related to D&D. To achieve these goals, the project aims to develop digital twins (DTs) through a BIM (building information modelling) technology-based platform. To structure the data, PLEIADES proposes a decommissioning-oriented ontology that provides a common understanding of the concept, with specific decommissioning terminology. The developed platform provides the integration of the different data and tools. In order to demonstrate the PLEIADES concept, six user stories have been defined based on three real-life use cases from three different European countries, namely France, Norway, and Spain. They allow scenario studies and address application areas such as cost and planning, radiation exposure estimation, and waste assessment. Three of the user stories are directly linked to one use case and focus on comparing alternative scenarios to basic decommissioning activities such as radiological characterization or the decontamination of building surfaces. The other three focus on risk management, uncertainties, regulatory aspects, and waste management strategies. The data feeding the DTs are crucial and require data collection and integration, data security assurance, and data completeness verification. The whole process is iterative until the DTs contain all the necessary information required to perform the user stories simulation. Among others, each simulation using a DT will consider a physical and radiological environment and estimate the waste produced, the waste management process, and the waste management cost. In real applications, the data constituting the DT will depend on each D&D project, but the whole methodology is applicable. This may result in the definition of best practices and the sharing of common processes.

Using Constrained-Disorder Principle-Based Systems to Improve the Performance of Digital Twins in Biological Systems.

Digital twins are computer programs that use real-world data to create simulations that predict the performance of processes, products, and systems. Digital twins may integrate artificial intelligence to improve their outputs. Models for dealing with uncertainties and noise are used to improve the accuracy of digital twins. Most currently used systems aim to reduce noise to improve their outputs. Nevertheless, biological systems are characterized by inherent variability, which is necessary for their proper function. The constrained-disorder principle defines living systems as having a disorder as part of their existence and proper operation while kept within dynamic boundaries. In the present paper, we review the role of noise in complex systems and its use in bioengineering. We describe the use of digital twins for medical applications and current methods for dealing with noise and uncertainties in modeling. The paper presents methods to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of digital twin systems by continuously implementing variability signatures while simultaneously reducing unwanted noise in their inputs and outputs. Accounting for the noisy internal and external environments of complex biological systems is necessary for the future design of improved, more accurate digital twins.

Classifying the operational energy performance of buildings with the use of digital twins

Classifying the operational energy performance of buildings with the use of digital twins

Restoration works and major repairs at cultural heritage sites: basic aspects of building digitization in forecasting and planning of works

Introduction. The problematics of exploitation of objects of cultural heritage (OCH) is covered. The classification of OCH and peculiarities of their definition in different countries are presented. The statistical data on OCH in the Russian Federation, including those belonging to UNESCO, are analyzed. The peculiarities of management, problems of monitoring the state of OCH are considered. The fundamental issue of OCH management is the protection activity, which is based on unique models formed by different countries on the basis of their unique experience. The proposed approach to creating a methodology for capital works on OCH using digital twins (DT) of buildings is of practical importance, as it makes it possible to predict the serviceability and preservation in time of objects, providing the necessary degree of elaboration of structural sections of the restoration of OCH projects. The aim of the study is to describe the modern approach to forecasting and planning of capital works on OCH.
 
 Materials and methods. The data of the national and international normative-legal base in the field of urban planning and protection of OCH are used. The public source of statistical information on OCH is the Unified State Register of OCH. General methods of scientific knowledge were used: methods of empirical research (observation, comparison) and methods of theoretical research (abstraction, analysis and synthesis).
 
 Results. The conducted research determined the basic aspects of diagnosing OCH in a digital environment, allowing the formation of certain provisions of the methodology for creating digital twins of objects.
 
 Conclusions. The issue of capital works on the OCH does not lose its relevance for scientific discussions in the applied areas of development of digital technologies in the construction industry. The use of digital twins of buildings in the selected subject area of the study will optimize the work on project documentation, minimize current adjustments to projects at the stage of its implementation, providing significant cost savings in comparison with modern practices, and ultimately achieve maximum safety of the OCH.

Компьютерное моделирование процесса сверления сложных пакетов титанового сплава и композиционного материала с использованием цифровых двойников

Complex packages of polycrystalline composite materials based on carbon fiber plastics and titanium alloys find wide ap-plication in the designs of machine-building products and become the main material in the production of high-speed modern transport modes. However, the technology of machining parts surfaces made of these materials, namely holes, is character-ized by insufficient knowledge, lack of standards for cutting modes and is based more often on the production experience of enterprises. When machining conditions and materials of complex packages change, the duration of technological prepara-tion of production causes a significant increase in the cost of manufacturing components and parts due to the need for com-petent selection of rational elements of the cutting mode. To exclude the empirical fit of rational elements of the cutting mode on machining facility, the possibility of using digital twins of drilling processes in workpieces made of these materials is studied. It also implies the introduction of ultrasonic field energy into new surfaces generation of geometry in order to improve the quality of the machining area production efficiency and reduction of technological preparation of production based on the selection of elements of the cutting mode instead of testing the selected machining conditions using the existing technological equipment. The LS-DYNA program was used in the simulation process. Preparation of models and data pro-cess was carried out in the LS-Prepost 4.8 program. In the course of research, an explicit simulation technique with pre-liminary validation was used. Studies proved that the developed finite element models allow simulating the technological processes of simultaneous drilling of packages of titanium alloy and composite material in a computer (digital twin) without conducting sufficiently complex and costly field tests. Generated by simulation, a calculation sheet was obtained containing the simulation process, the solution of which visually reflects the process of drilling holes in workpieces made of complex packages of titanium alloy and composite material, as close as possible to the real situation with chip removal. Since the use of digital twins for performing this stage of technological preparation of production in the conditions of existing enterprises is not associated with a long and expensive operation of machine-tool fleet, we should expect a significant reduction in the cost of manufacturing components and parts from similar materials in industry, primarily in small-scale or single-part pro-duction.

Use of digital twins in automotive industry: Russian and foreign experience

Aim. To determine the breadth of application of digital twins in the automotive industry in Russia and abroad, and to compare the level of implementation of innovative technology in production.Tasks. To consider the general issues of digitalization of the automotive industry and the tools by which it is carried out, including such a tool as a digital twin; to characterize the problem issues that need to be solved in the production of cars with digital twins; based on the analysis of examples of digital twins in the automotive industry in Russia and foreign countries to show the level of technology development and advantages of its use.Methods. The objectives were solved by using empirical research methods, in particular based on the study of various sources of information, including the scientific works of researchers, as well as the analysis of the data obtained with subsequent conclusions.Results. Along with many other effective tools of digitalization, the digital twin helps enterprises from the automotive industry to reach a new technological level of development, optimizing production processes and increasing the competitiveness of manufactured products and companies. There are several facets of digital twin technology that enable critical tasks at every stage of vehicle design, production and testing, while reducing time and material costs. The technology is gradually beginning to be used in leading car manufacturing companies, both in Russia and abroad. Especially effective is the use of digital twins in the production of electric cars.Conclusions. Digital twins serve as an effective tool for the digitalization of the automotive industry, allowing to reduce costs and time spent on product development and production, as well as on various vehicle tests. In addition, due to the use of technology, manufacturers have the opportunity to identify new ways to improve products, expand the model range, and improve safety and comfort for customers. Due to these advantages, the technology is actively being introduced in the production of foreign and domestic cars. However, in the absence of all necessary resources in Russia, the production of cars using digital twins is not as active as in other countries.

Digital twin in the system of external adaptive control of robot manipulators

The article discusses the implementation of a digital twin in the system of adaptive control of robotic manipulators. The use of digital twins to plan, control and maintain the life cycle of production equipment forms the sustainable introduction of robotic systems into the technological processes of high-tech enterprises. The use of a digital twin in the collaboration of a robot system allows you to design more versatile workplaces and assembly lines, and optimize their workload. A new approach is proposed that allows solving problems of direct and inverse kinematics for robotic manipulators. The approach is to represent the kinematic diagram of a robotic arm with six rotational joints as a vector model. Due to the low computational load, the use of the proposed approach in control systems makes it possible to reduce delays when working in real time, with the ability to increase the number of robotic arms and control with higher accuracy.

Characteristics of the use of digital twins by industrial enterprises: the experience of foreign countries and Kazakhstan

Object: digital twins, adapted to the tasks of industrial companies.
 Methods: content analysis for the purpose of organizing and structuring the main scientific research related to the study of the use of digital twins, their role and importance for industrial companies; the analysis method that allowed to evaluate the current state of digitalization of production processes in companies; a graphic interpretation method that allowed to visualize the obtained results.
 Findings: the concept of “digital twin” is considered and the aspects of its application in the sphere of industrial production are analyzed on the example of foreign companies and enterprises of Kazakhstan; the tasks of digital twins and the advantages of their implementation in production are pointed out; the stages of building digital twins were studied.
 Conclusions: the study showed that the use of digital twins opens up new opportunities to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of an industrial company. The results provided an opportunity to assess the annually growing interest in the technology of digital twin; based on the analyzed sources, successful examples of the implementation of digital twins in the activities of industrial enterprises of foreign countries and Kazakhstan are considered.

Digital twins in banking: Problems and prospects

Aim. To identify key conditions and factors that determine the prospects of implementing digital twins as part of improving the mechanisms of information support for management decision-making (controlling) in banks and business processes for customer service.Tasks. Research theoretical and methodological foundations of the concept of digital twins, peculiarities of their implementation in the banking business processes; estimate market capacity and potential; identify prerequisites for the concept; analyze the effectiveness of digital twins; reveal the main approaches to the concept of digital twins in Russian banks, systematize directions of application and development.Methods. We used general scientific methods to analyze articles and publications, held surveys (including Yandex forms) and interviews that were systematized and generalized.Results. The need to optimize the historically high operating costs of the banks and the importance of ordering disparate databases to support the management decision making has been confirmed. One of the variants for solving these problems is implementation of digital twin technology by banks, which is implemented primarily in replacing physical processes with digital ones (credit conveyors, automated modules of account opening by companies, borrower and project monitoring systems, business analytics systems, antifraud monitoring, etc.). Examples were identified and expert opinions were obtained confirming high efficiency of this technology and its elements which in its turn defines its perspectives against the background of intense competition on the banking market. The key factors of implementation are determined: optimization of banks’ operational business processes, improving the quality of modeling and stress testing. Shortage of qualified specialists in IT sphere, lack of Russian analogues of software and equipment, high cost of implementing technological solutions, departure of foreign developers and integrators from the Russian market were singled out as the most significant problems, associated with the technology implementation. The majority of respondents point to the inevitability of progress, but condition the final decisions based on the formed practice of implementation. It was determined that, given the significant costs of the complex implementation of digital twin technology, it is currently appropriate for banks to focus on individual processes, tasks.Conclusions. The use of digital twins as an integrated multifactor model based on modern digital technology in banking improves the efficiency of bank controlling, customer service and ensures the reduction of the cost of business processes. It is this concept, using modern technological solutions, will contribute to the replacement of a number of physical processes by virtual ones, which will affect the cost of operations and provide banks with direct economic effect.

Digital twin: an approach to enhancing tourism competitiveness

PurposeThis study presents the concept of digital twin technology for the digitalization of tourism product competitiveness promotion recommendations.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research method was applied, conducting pilot interviews with representatives of the tourism industry in order to evaluate the key performance indicators (KPIs) and ecosystem specific to the tourism product category “food service”. Based on expert evaluations, a recommendation for promoting the competitiveness of the tourism product was created. The expert evaluations and the provided recommendations were used to create a model of the digital twin for the promotion of tourism competitiveness.FindingsThe study found that it is possible to digitize tourism experts' knowledge into a format compatible with recommendation system development to create a digital twin to promote the competitiveness of the tourism industry.Originality/valueCurrently, there is almost no research on the use of digital twins in the tourism industry. The application of this methodology in practice can ensure the promotion of the competitiveness of the tourism sector.

Barriers to the integration of digital twin technology in manufacturing

Industry over the last ten years has been characterized by a high level of digital transformation, affecting all layers of production and all areas of the economy. One of the key trends in the digitalization of industry is the digital twin – a system that combines a physical object, its digital model, and a continuous link between the two. However, the integration of such a complex technological solution is fraught with a number of barriers that arise in one way or another in the way of technology users. The authors of the article analyzed 100 examples of digital twin use in industry according to 7 criteria, among which the scope of technology application, the most problematic stage of its integration, key technological, organizational, ecosystem and economic barriers, as well as recommendations on overcoming these barriers, which have been applied or are in the process of application, were highlighted. The article contains a layer of statistical data and infographics that confirm the key conclusions about the main barriers to the integration of digital twins, among which the lack of devices and equipment with the necessary capacity, the lack of existing strategies for the technology implementation, the lack of standards for industry regulation and high initial investment are the main ones. Each block of barriers is accompanied by real examples (cases) of use of digital twin in the domestic and foreign industry, among which there are such companies as KamAZ, UEC-Klimov, Tesla, Volvo, Norske Shell and others.

Experimental and numerical investigations of a soft projectile impact three-point bending (SPITPB) test for adhesion assessment under dynamic loading

The increasing use of digital twins for design in aerospace industry requires the development of validation tests at an intermediate scale prior to full-scale testing. In this paper, a new experimental set-up called Soft Projectile Impact Three-Point Bending (SPITPB) has been investigated by numerical and experimental methods. SPITPB corresponds to an intermediate-scale test representative of a bird strike test, dedicated to the study of the strength of adhesively bonded assemblies. The experimental set-up is detailed in terms of projectile, specimen and boundaries conditions. Three impact velocities leading to three different levels of damage of the adhesive joint are investigated, from intact to highly damaged specimens. A numerical simulation of the SPITPB is achieved with the commercial code LS-DYNA®. A Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics model is used to describe the projectile, while the specimen is modelled with a finite element approach. The focus is on the structural response of the specimen and the damage of the adhesive joint. Numerical simulation results demonstrate a good correlation with the experimental data in terms of structural displacement, local strain and post-mortem crack length observations. The dynamic behaviour of the adhesive and the failure model are finally validated as a result of this correlation.

Usability analysis of virtual-reality-enabled digital twin for the inspection of sewage pumping stations

The use of Digital Twin (DT) for asset management has been considered for a while. While significant scientific and development work has been done on the technical feasibility of DT-based inspection of assets, very little attention has been paid to the expectations of inspectors from such systems and how these systems are actually appreciated by the end-users. In other words, from a practical standpoint, there is very little insight into the usability aspect of DT and how data is best presented to the end user. To address these limitations, this research aims to investigate the usability of a VR-enabled DT platform for the inspection of a sewage pumping station. A prototype was developed and a case study was performed to validate the framework from the usability perspective. Based on the results from the validation, an increase in the efficiency, comprehensibility, and usability of the inspection practices was observed. This attests to the great potential of the proposed framework for improving infrastructure inspections.

DIGITAL TWIN VALUE IN INTELLIGENT BUILDING DEVELOPMENT

The aim of the research. This article discusses the use of the Digital Twin in automation and its impact on the resulting solution. The research aims to illuminate the Digital Twin concept explanation and systematise the knowledge base and fulfill information gaps. Research results. The paper overviews the history of the concept and determines the main phases of Digital Twin development. The significant attention was paid to the classification issue to show the huge variation depending on Digital Twin‘s purpose, lifecycle phase, the scale of the physical twins and data amount in order to explain the twin‘s relation and the hierarchy of complex system. The defined capabilities and values of the concept identify the possible use cases and explain the potential benefits of Digital Twin implementation. Also, this paper takes a look at the use of Digital Twin in the area of building automation. This concept potentially may act as the integration platform for building management systems (BMS) and building information modelling (BIM) technologies with IoT solutions. The discussion of Digital Twin implementation for the building automation complex is presented. We conclude that the Digital Twin can integrate human factor to the control system by using the indexes of climate satisfaction, the feedback functionality and human-machine interfaces. As a result, the improvement of system efficiency depends on the coordination and orchestration of equipment operating mode. Conclusion. The Digital Twin has a high potential for energy efficiency improvements, as it considers many factors, integrates a huge amount of data and continuously improves themselves with real-world data.

Towards Digital Twins of Small Productive Processes in Microgrids

In microgrids (MGs), energy management systems (EMSs) have been using increasingly detailed models of generation units, loads, and networks to make decisions on the power/energy contribution of each available unit to meet the electrical energy demand. This work aims to investigate the use of digital twins (DT) of small productive processes (SPPs) to regulate endogenous process variables to ensure final product quality, while the expected power consumption is estimated and communicated to the EMS so that it can make its decisions on the participation of each power source in meeting the electrical energy demand. The literature review reveals that this is one of the first attempts, in the context of MGs, to generate DT for SPPs that combine not only the electrical energy consumption, but also link it with the energy/mass balances taking place in the SPPs, highlighting the complexity that SPPs have as electrical loads. The results demonstrate that environmental conditions significantly influence the final electrical consumption of the SPPs. Additionally, the MG exhibits better economic performance when the SPP DT supports EMS decision-making, which is of great importance in MGs due to the special conditions they have for electric power generation, being more challenging in isolated MGs.

GPU accelerated digital twins of the human heart open new routes for cardiovascular research

The recruitment of patients for rare or complex cardiovascular diseases is a bottleneck for clinical trials and digital twins of the human heart have recently been proposed as a viable alternative. In this paper we present an unprecedented cardiovascular computer model which, relying on the latest GPU-acceleration technologies, replicates the full multi-physics dynamics of the human heart within a few hours per heartbeat. This opens the way to extensive simulation campaigns to study the response of synthetic cohorts of patients to cardiovascular disorders, novel prosthetic devices or surgical procedures. As a proof-of-concept we show the results obtained for left bundle branch block disorder and the subsequent cardiac resynchronization obtained by pacemaker implantation. The in-silico results closely match those obtained in clinical practice, confirming the reliability of the method. This innovative approach makes possible a systematic use of digital twins in cardiovascular research, thus reducing the need of real patients with their economical and ethical implications. This study is a major step towards in-silico clinical trials in the era of digital medicine.

Digital Twins: Enabling Interoperability in Smart Manufacturing Networks

As Industry 4.0 networks continue to evolve at a rapid pace, they are becoming increasingly complex and distributed. These networks incorporate a range of technologies that are integrated into smart manufacturing systems, requiring adaptability, security, and resilience. However, managing the complexity of Industry 4.0 networks presents significant challenges, particularly in terms of security and the integration of diverse technologies into a functioning and efficient infrastructure. To address these challenges, emerging digital twin standards are enabling the connection of various systems by linking individual digital twins, creating a system of systems. The objective is to develop a “universal translator” that can interpret inputs from both the real and digital worlds, merging them into a seamless cyber-physical reality. It will be demonstrated how the myriad of technologies and systems in Industry 4.0 networks can be connected through the use of digital twins to create a seamless “system of systems”. This will improve interoperability, resilience, and security in smart manufacturing systems. The paper will also outline the potential benefits and limitations of digital twins in addressing the challenges of Industry 4.0 networks.

A Review of Digital Twin Technology for Electric and Autonomous Vehicles

In the era of technological transformation, mobility and transportation systems are becoming more intelligent and greener. Thanks to powerful technologies and tools, electric and autonomous vehicles are spreading worldwide, substituting internal combustion engine vehicles and revolutionizing the way to drive. In this context, this paper is an extended version of the paper “Digital Twin in Intelligent Transportation Systems: a Review published in 2020 7th International Conference on Control, Decision and Information Technologies (CoDIT)”. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature from the last five years on the use of digital twin (DT) technology for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs), focusing on electric and autonomous vehicles. In particular, with respect to the previous work, the focus has been expanded to include DT integration with other cutting-edge technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and 5G for ITS. Moreover, this paper presents a broad perspective on challenges in EV applications, including tracking, monitoring, battery and charge management, connectivity, security, and privacy. In addition, this paper discusses how DT can be used to effectively address the current issues in electric vehicle services, such as tracking, monitoring, battery and charge management, connectivity, security, and privacy.

Bilingual course of industry robot basing digital twin technology

Bilingual teaching background is an innovative method for teaching a course on robotics. This could include a combination of both the technical and language-learning aspects of the subject matter. Through a bilingual approach, students can gain a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of robotics, including its history and development, to its applications and implications. The course could also include the use of digital twin of robot software in classrooms, with a focus on critical thinking and problem-solving. Finally, the course would also cover the language-learning aspects of robotics, such as how to communicate with robots, how to program them, and how to use them to create a more interactive learning environment. In this bilingual project, students can acquire basic robot programming skills, robot vision, and robot integration.