Research on the development and application of digital twin for the full life cycle of bridge engineering

Abstract

Bridges play an important role in modern society, whereas many bridges are in poor condition and are characterized by complexity, randomness, and risk no matter what phase the bridges are in. Meanwhile, with advanced technologies such as IoT and Big Data, Digital Twin has been developed in different industries, such as aerospace. With multiple superiorities of real-time data detection, big data processing, full life-cycle management, etc., it is appropriate for bridge engineering. The paper aims to present a state-of-the-art literature review on the full life cycle of the application of Digital Twin in Bridge Engineering. The article discusses the relationship between Digital Twin and Building Information Model (BIM) and constructs a comprehensive framework for Digital Twin in Bridge Engineering. The review is classified into three main parts design and construction phase, operation and maintenance phase, and demolition phase based on different stages of the full life cycle. The results show the applications high potential and feasibility, and show that most of the current research focuses on the operation and maintenance phases. However, intensive research is still necessary to improve the accuracy, quality, efficiency, timeliness, and versatility of the Digital Twin in Bridge Engineering.