A thermal digital twin for condition monitoring of asphalt roads

In the context of the Industry 4.0 and civil engineering sector, the Digital Twin (DT) concept has great potential within transportation infrastructure operation and asset management. Its adaption and application could possibly offer: (i) real-time structural monitoring; (ii) support of maintenance-related decisions and activities; and (iii) ability to examine the structural responses under different operational scenarios. This study commences by introducing the DT concept, along with its key components: sensing, modeling, and parameter updating. This is followed by a demonstrative application to an asphalt road - with focus on its thermal state. The application will involve data from several highway sections equipped with embedded temperature sensors at different depths. The DT will simulate the thermal field evolution in the top 30 cm of the asphalt pavement. At the same time, the DT will provide the evolution of thermal diffusivity of the medium in time.