Digital Twin
Digital Twin + physical testing
A Digital Twin increases the value of physical testing by helping engineers predict expected behaviour, compare measured results, investigate deviations and improve the next engineering baseline.
What the twin does
Nine responsibilities
- 01Pre-test prediction
- 02Simulation
- 03Expected response
- 04Scenario exploration
- 05Test planning
- 06Predicted vs measured comparison
- 07Anomaly investigation
- 08Model updating
- 09Design feedback
The twin loop
Predict. Test. Compare. Decide.
The loop runs once per test. Each pass leaves a prediction, a measurement and a decision on record.
- 01Engineering model
- 02Prediction
- 03Physical test
- 04Measured data
- 05Predicted vs measured
- 06Engineering review
- 07Model update or hardware updateThe review decides which: the model was wrong, or the hardware needs to change.
- 08Retest
Show values as a table
| Time | Predicted | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 0.10 | 0.51 | 0.44 |
| 0.20 | 0.76 | 0.73 |
| 0.30 | 0.88 | 0.85 |
| 0.40 | 0.94 | 0.94 |
| 0.50 | 0.97 | 1.07 |
| 0.60 | 0.99 | 1.01 |
| 0.70 | 0.99 | 1.00 |
| 0.80 | 1.00 | 0.99 |
| 0.90 | 1.00 | 0.99 |
| 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.01 |
Digital Twin maturity
Five potential levels
Confidence in a twin is earned the same way as confidence in hardware: by evidence, within defined limits.
- Level 1ModelAn engineering representation of the hardware.
- Level 2Simulated systemSubsystem interactions represented.
- Level 3Correlated modelCompared with test measurements.
- Level 4Validated operating regionUseful agreement demonstrated within defined limits.
- Level 5Operational engineering twinContinuously updated where appropriate.
Configuration-aware twin
Same configuration, or no comparison.
Predicted-versus-measured comparisons are meaningful only when the digital and physical configurations correspond.
- Hardware baselinelinked
- Firmware baselinelinked
- Software baselinelinked
- Sensor packagelinked
- Calibration setlinked
- Test configurationlinked
- Model geometry baselinelinked
- Controller model versionlinked
- Sensor model maplinked
- Calibration importlinked
- Prediction setlinked
- Correlation reportlinked
Instrumentation
If you cannot measure it, you cannot correlate it.
- 01Pressure
- 02Temperature
- 03Force / thrust
- 04Vibration
- 05Strain
- 06Acceleration
- 07Rotational speed
- 08Position
- 09Timing
- 10Flow-related measurements
- 11Controller states
- 12Electrical measurements
Sensor to correlation — and who can contribute at each stage
- 01Sensor
- 02Signal conditioning
- 03DAQ
- 04Time synchronisation
- 05Test data
- 06Engineering analysis
- 07Digital Twin correlation
Engineering test data
Every test, a traceable record
Each physical test becomes a digital record tied to its configuration. Proposed capability partner: Gamyaa Aerospace — digital engineering, test-data platform, model correlation and engineering evidence.
- Test ID
- Test objective
- Procedure
- Hardware configuration
- Serial numbers
- Software version
- Firmware version
- Sensor configuration
- Calibration references
- Model revision
- Recorded data
- Events
- Observations
- Anomalies
- Analysis
- Disposition
- Approval