Development and deployment of physics-based digital twins for the analysis of the vibro-acoustic behavior of systems of industrial complexity.

The vibro-acoustic performance of mechatronic systems is a vital aspect of their operation. Thus, it needs to be assessed during both the design process and the operational life of the asset. This proposal aims to develop and deploy physics-based virtual entities called “Digital Twins” (DT) for the purpose of analyzing the vibroacoustic behaviour of these systems. A DT is a virtual duplicate of a physical system, built from a fusion of physics-based models and real-time data that is streamed from its real counterpart. DTs can help overcome current industrial challenges in vibro-acoustic decision-making by continuously monitoring the physical twin status, diagnosing faults, and testing solutions remotely. Firstly, system-level vibro-acoustic models are investigated in terms of modeling accuracy and computational load for a system of industrial complexity. Secondly, the instrumentation of the physical twin is studied, taking into account the real-life non-ideal operational settings. The third step consists of developing the DT framework, in which the physics-based models are augmented with the measured data using a joint stateparameter estimation approach. Finally, the derived methodology is applied to a number of industrially relevant case studies, comprising a full-scale automotive gearbox, an industrial compressor, and a weaving loom. This research will generate the scientific advancement that the industry needs to develop and deploy vibro-acoustic DTs for their products.