Potential of digital twin in seismic emergency inspection of road bridges

Abstract

After an earthquake, it is crucial to judge the necessity of traffic regulation and implement emergency measures based on load-bearing capacity and drivability to facilitate early road clearance. The diagnose on road bridges has traditionally relied on past earthquake damage and recovery response record as a reference, however, inconsistencies in diagnostic results have become an issue. Additionally, considering the shortage of engineers during disasters and the need of lightening their workload, it is urgent to develop emergency inspection methods that enable them to diagnose remotely. Therefore, in this study, we examined a remote diagnostic system using digital twins as a new emergency inspection method. We also organized the benefits of seismic emergency inspections using digital twins and identified the challenges that need to be addressed to implement this approach.