What is it about?
An airplane requires maintenance to ensure that all systems function properly and that the airplane safely transports all passengers and cargo from the origin to the destination. Typically routine scheduled maintenance takes place in the form of airplane part repair or replacements and periodic replenishment of part inventory. However, sometimes airplane parts fail out of routine. If a replacement part is available, then the damaged part is replaced and the airplane can smoothly resume its flight schedule; but if a replacement part is not available, then the maintenance team must procure a replacement as early as possible because the airplane will remain idle (called aircraft-on-ground cost) until the replacement is complete. However, if there was a way to anticipate the failure of airplane parts, then part transportation could be coordinated ahead of time and prevent idling of the airplane. This is where digital twins come in.
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Why is it important?
A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical object. By frequently feeding more data about the physical object to the virtual model, it would be possible to predict from the virtual representation at what point in time the physical object is likely to fail. With these predictions, parts can be transported from the manufacturer to the desired airport hangar according the airplane's flight schedule ahead of this time. The replacement can be performed, and the airplane can go on its way to continue safely transporting passengers. It is true that this maintenance strategy will often result in airplane parts being replaced early than necessary, but it will help prevent the idling of airplanes due to maintenance issues, which is operationally a very expensive occurrence for airlines and airplane part manufacturers.
Perspectives
Digital twins are truly an incredible concept that can revolutionize several industries across the logistics spectrum. Since the aerospace industry handles products at high costs, improvements in logistics operations can be just as high in magnitude. This study just showed a glimpse of the power of digital twins. With additional resources, it would be possible to uncover the sheer power of digital twins.
Siddharth Samal
Georgia Institute of Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Quantitative Assessment of the Environmental and Economic Impact of Digital Twins on Large-Scale Aerospace Logistics Operations, January 2025, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2025-0709.
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