Digital Twin Platform for Structural Health Monitoring(2024-2025)

This project is an essential step towards advancing bridge health monitoring, focusing on creating a digital demonstration system that offers enriched, real-time information about structural behaviour and safety. By combining advanced data sets and modelling techniques, this system provides a scalable solution for infrastructure management across Australia’s vast rail networks.

Introduction
The Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA) at the University of Melbourne is leading a groundbreaking initiative in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) through the development of a Digital Twin (DT) platform. This platform integrates real-time IoT data, geometric information, and physics-based data via Finite Element Modelling (FEM) to provide comprehensive insights into the health and performance of critical infrastructure.
This project is an essential step towards advancing bridge health monitoring, focusing on creating a digital demonstration system that offers enriched, real-time information about structural behaviour and safety. By combining advanced data sets and modelling techniques, this system provides a scalable solution for infrastructure management across Australia’s vast rail networks.

Project Goals

  • Developing a Digital Twin platform for monitoring the structural health of bridges.
  • Integrating multiple datasets from IoT sensors, geometric models, and FEM-based simulations to provide real-time insights.
  • Nominating and monitoring critical heritage bridges in Australia for ARTC (Australian Rail Track Corporation).
  • Demonstrating the capabilities of this technology through interactive digital screens that visualize bridge data, structural performance, and predictive maintenance needs.

Nominated Bridges
Currently, the project is focusing on two key rail bridges owned by ARTC:


1. Bunbury Bridge, located at Sims Street, Melbourne.
The Bunbury Street Railway Bridge, part of the Maribyrnong River crossing, is a remarkable feat of early 20th-century engineering. Built between 1926 and 1928, this bridge was a key component of one of Victoria’s most ambitious rail construction projects. Its design, combining a triangulated steel truss structure with concrete pillars and a tunnel section, reflects the advanced engineering techniques of the time. The bridge features two simply supported I-girder approach spans and a central steel truss bridge, making it a unique and important structure for this Digital Twin (DT) project.
As part of the Independent Goods Lines (IGL) project, the bridge was constructed to accommodate heavy rail traffic and remains one of the most expensive railways ever built in Victoria, second only to the Standard Gauge Line. Its historical significance is further enhanced by its innovative design, being the only example in Victoria where a railway tunnel emerges over a substantial bridge. This design solution was essential to separate goods traffic from the Melbourne suburban rail system at a time when rail transport was at its peak in Victoria.
Given the bridge's unique architectural design, operational importance, and the challenges posed by modern rail transport, it has become a critical candidate for advanced Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). By integrating state-of-the-art sensors and advanced modelling tools, this project aims to safeguard the bridge's structural integrity, ensuring it continues to function effectively for years to come.

2.Lachlan River Bridge, Forbes, New South Wales.

Constructed in 1907, the Lachlan River Bridge in Cowra, New South Wales, is an iconic heritage structure within Australia's rail network. Spanning the Lachlan River along the Western Corridor, this bridge has played a pivotal role in regional freight transport for over a century. Its robust construction, using steel trusses and concrete components, reflects the durability required to withstand the dynamic loads of passing trains and the harsh environmental conditions typical of the region. The bridge, 48 meters in length with a 5.2-meter-wide truss, is a one-track rail bridge.
The Lachlan River Bridge stands as a testament to the engineering achievements of early 20th-century Australia, serving as a critical infrastructure component for connecting regional communities and facilitating the transport of goods across New South Wales. Its historical and functional importance makes it an ideal candidate for advanced SHM using the Digital Twin platform, which will enable real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, ensuring the bridge's longevity and continued serviceability.

Collaborations and Partnerships
This project is being undertaken in collaboration with several industry and research partners:

  • ARTC (Australian Rail Track Corporation): Bridge owner and project partner.
  • MoveSolution: Providing IoT-based sensor technologies for data collection.
  • Rockfield: Supporting technical analysis and sensor deployment.
  • Sterling Engineering: Contributing expertise in structural engineering and finite element modelling.
  • University of Melbourne: Through CSDILA, leading the research and digital twin development.


Digital Twin and Data Integration
The Digital Twin platform developed under this project will serve as a dynamic, real-time tool for bridge monitoring. It integrates several data types, including:

  • IoT sensor data: Capturing vibrations, temperature changes, and stress/strain conditions.
  • Geometric models: 3D models generated through drone-based photogrammetry and laser scanning to provide accurate physical representations of the bridges.
  • Physics-based simulations: Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to predict the structural behaviour of the bridges under various loading and environmental conditions.

Expanding CSDILA's Capabilities
This project expands CSDILA’s capabilities in digital infrastructure monitoring, building a foundation for smart city and intelligent transport systems. By incorporating real-time data visualization and advanced modelling techniques, CSDILA aims to position itself as a leader in digital twin technology for infrastructure resilience and maintenance.
The Digital Twin system will allow asset managers, engineers, and decision-makers to interact with an integrated, real-time representation of the infrastructure, enabling proactive decision-making, safety enhancement, and efficient maintenance planning. Future expansions of this system will aim to integrate more bridges and infrastructure types, demonstrating the scalability and adaptability of the platform.