Real-time estimation of responses and loads of real-scale pipes subjected to earthquakes and external loads using digital twin technology

Infrastructure facilities contain various pipe systems, which can be considerably damaged by external loads such as earthquakes. Therefore, structural health monitoring (SHM) and safety assessment of pipes are crucial. Digital twin technology for SHM of pipes is important in the industry. This study proposes a digital twin system that estimates the behavior, stress, and external load of real-scale pipes in real time under simultaneous seismic and external loads using a minimum number of sensors. Vibration tests were performed to construct the digital twin system, and a numerical model was developed that considered the dynamic characteristics of a target pipe. Moreover, a reduced-order modeling technique of a numerical model was applied to enhance its real-time performance. The digital twin system successfully estimated the response of the pipe at all points. Verification of the digital twin system was performed by comparing it with the experimental parameters of a real-scale pipe. The proposed digital twin system can help enhance SHM and system's maintenance.