BIMScaler Blog – Why should we learn more about the several digital twin use cases? The answer is straightforward, but it’s also a bit complex.
The short answer is these use cases show how transformative this technology can be in different sectors and scenarios.
As Michael Grieves points out in “Origins of the Digital Twin Concept,” being able to simulate behaviour and test different scenarios in a virtual environment is a huge step forward in understanding and dealing with potential issues.
So, looking at different digital twin applications helps us understand how they can drive innovation, efficiency and sustainability across industries.
Understanding Digital Twin Technology
The concept of the digital twin was first introduced in 2002 by Michael Grieves, and since then, has become a key part of modern digital transformation.
As we all know, a digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical asset, process, or system – it’s dynamic and reflects real-time conditions and changes.
It’s not just a 3D model; it’s a digital copy of the real thing which changes as it does in real life.
As Michael Grieves explains in “Origins of the Digital Twin Concept,” this idea first came about in 2002 as a “conceptual ideal for PLM” and has since developed into a really useful tool for managing complex systems.
The digital twin is like a bridge between the physical and digital worlds, making it easier to share data and information.
This link lets stakeholders keep an eye on, analyse and simulate how the physical asset behaves in the virtual world.
This helps them make better decisions, work more efficiently and reduce risks.
The technology has a huge potential, offering benefits at every stage of a built asset’s life, from design and construction to operation and maintenance.
A key aspect of digital twins is their ability to simulate “what-if” scenarios.
This feature lets stakeholders test how changes might affect things or predict failures before they actually happen.
For instance, the LAX airport project saw digital twin technology used to streamline workflows and make better use of resources.
This meant we saved a lot of time and money, which goes to show how digital twins can make complex construction projects more efficient.
Learn more: Digital Twin Building Handbook: Components, How to Create, & Application
Digital Twin Use Cases in the AEC Industry
Digital Twin Building Pavilion with Irregular Materials
In their paper “Digital Twin in Computational Design and Robotic Construction of Wooden Architecture,” Ye Zhang and colleagues show how digital twins can be used in practice to make construction processes more efficient by using irregular materials that are available locally.
Zhang and co-author set up a cyber-physical system to make the design and robotic assembly of wooden structures more efficient.
The process used data from physical sensors to update virtual models in real time, which meant that the digital and physical worlds could interact seamlessly.
The big idea behind it is you could have a construction site where a robot with a perception-modelling system scans the raw wood branches.
This system is like giving the robot ‘eyes’. It captures the unique geometry of each branch and feeds this data into the digital twin.
The digital twin, which acts as the ‘brain’, processes this information and creates the best design possible, taking into account the specific characteristics of the materials available.
The robot, now the ‘hand’, puts this design together, making sure the structure looks good and is strong.
In this study, we scanned unprocessed wooden branches that we got from a local site.
We sent the data from these scans to a design software program, which allowed the digital twin to adjust to the material conditions on-site.
The robot, which is guided by the digital twin, would then make the necessary adjustments to its construction actions.
This back-and-forth between digital design and physical work led to the creation of two pavilions.
Digital Twin for CFD Simulations in Urban Wind Environments
In the pursuit of sustainable urban planning, Hongling Guo and colleagues show in “An Experiment-Based Simplified Method for the Model of Building Groups in CFD Simulation” how digital twins can help us make CFD simulations more efficient.
For our information, CFD simulations are pretty much the best way to analyse urban wind environments, but they can be pretty expensive to run, especially for large-scale building groups.
So, Guo and colleagues showed how digital twin technology can be used to create virtual replicas of building groups, which helps engineers to simulate wind patterns more accurately.
The authors suggest a simpler way to model building groups using two rectangular buildings as the basic unit and four control parameters to define their geometric relationship.
By running a series of experiments, they were able to work out the best value ranges for these parameters, which meant they could make the building group model much simpler without losing any accuracy in the wind simulation results.
In their Tsinghua University case study, they managed to cut the number of buildings in the model by a whopping 36.3% and the number of tetrahedral grids by 12.1%.
This new approach saves on computing resources and speeds up the simulation process, making it easier to use CFD analysis in urban planning and design workflows.
Learn more: How Digital Twin Technology is Revolutionizing Industries
Digital Twins for Wastewater Treatment Plant O&M
In the critical infrastructure sector, Jiu-Lin Li and colleagues present digital twin use cases in the lifecycle management of a large wastewater treatment plant (WTP) in their paper, “Intelligent Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of a Large Wastewater-Treatment Plant Based on BIM.”
They show how Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is a key part of digital twin technology, can be used to make the design, construction and operation and maintenance (O&M) processes more efficient.
In their study of the Huaifang Water Treatment Plant (HWTP), the largest underground WTP in Asia, they used BIM a lot.
From 3D pipeline design and clash detection to process simulations and real-time monitoring, BIM gave us a data-driven approach throughout the project lifecycle.
Bringing BIM together with IoT tech made the plant’s O&M even better, with predictive maintenance and efficient energy management being the big benefits.
For instance, the digital twin helped manage materials and schedules during construction, cutting the construction time by 35 days compared to traditional methods.
Once the plant was up and running, the digital twin was hooked up to the real-time data from the sensors, which meant we could do predictive maintenance and make sure everything was running as efficiently as possible.
The study also shows how BIM can be used to create a digital twin that is accurate and up to date, and which changes as the physical asset does.
The three case studies are some of the explorations you can find in Wiley Online Library – Published Special Issues, “Digital Twin Technology in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry.”
As well as these three case studies, you can also find lots of other case studies demonstrating the huge role of the digital twin in the AEC sector.
Future Trends in Digital Twin Technology
The future of digital twin technology is closely linked to the development of AI, machine learning and the Internet of Things.
We’ll see even more sophisticated predictive analysis and simulation, which will let stakeholders model different scenarios and spot potential issues before they happen.
We’ll see a deeper integration of the whole lifecycle, with a single, comprehensive digital twin model capturing and connecting data throughout the asset’s lifespan.
Advanced analytics and AI will be key to turning all the data generated by digital twins into useful insights.
In the paper, “Unlocking The Potential Of Digital Twins For The AEC Industry,” Geospatial World highlights the most exciting future trend: the development of autonomous digital twins.
These autonomous digital twins expected to use AI and advanced analytics to make real-time decisions without human intervention.
In the AEC industry, autonomous twins could take care of maintenance schedules, make sure energy is used efficiently, and even monitor structural integrity with minimal human input.
On top of that, as more AEC firms start using Building Information Modeling (BIM), the combination of BIM and digital twins will make it easier to move from design to operation.
How to Get Digital Twins Technology with Limited Resources?
The idea of adopting digital twin technology might seem a bit overwhelming, especially for smaller firms with limited resources.
The good news is there are ways to get the most out of this powerful tool without breaking the bank.
One way to do this is to team up with a BIM management service provider like BIM Scaler.
At BIM Scaler, we can help you implement and manage digital twins effectively with a range of services, including Revit modelling, digital engineering, model auditing, and content creation.
By getting experts to take care of the more specialised tasks, you can get the benefits of digital twin technology without having to spend a lot upfront on infrastructure and staff.
This way, you can concentrate on what you do best while letting BIM Scaler take care of your digital twins for you.
So, when you’re ready to see the difference for yourself, kindly visit our BIM Management Support page to find out how we can help.
Or, let’s grab lunch – no sales, no pushy pitches; just a friendly discussion about how to make your complex digital dreams a reality, one step at a time.
Just drop us a line to arrange a time that suits you.
In Closing
It’s official: the era of digital twins is here! And the AEC industry in Australia is poised to benefit big time from its adoption.
So, the big question is: how do you embrace this game-changing technology?
As with many digital twin use cases, you can’t do it alone. Because the digital twin technology means collaboration. That’s why the team at BIM Scaler is ready for you 24/7.
