Digital Twins for high-dynamic mechatronic systems -dynamic force, torque and stress estimation

The dynamic forces, torques and stresses in function-critical parts and components play a crucial role in the economic profitability, in the environmental sustainability, and in the human health impact of machines and vehicles. Knowing these quantities - during the design as well as the operational lifetime of an asset - has therefore an important socio-economic impact and relevance. Unfortunately, these quantities are hard or expensive to measure directly in high-dynamic mechatronic systems.The goal of this project is the development and deployment of Digital Twin enabled force, torque, and stress estimation approaches in mechatronic systems.A Digital Twin is an evolving digital replica of an individual physical asset, including both its historical and current behaviour. The incoming data from sensors and actuators aboard of mechatronic systems enable the continuous improvement of the Digital Twin. The Digital Twin, in turn, delivers valuable insights to improve the system design, and provides (often hard to measure) information on the system operation.In this project, the Digital Twin combines heterogeneous models, available from engineering analysis, within a novel multi-model estimation scheme. Major challenges include the efficient mechatronic model evaluation through (parametric and non-linear) model order reduction, and their use in virtual sensing through (time stable) state-input-parameter estimation to (continuously) retrieve the aforementioned key dynamic quantities. Methodological validations and application demonstrations will be performed on dedicated gearbox, vehicle dynamics and high-speed weaving loom test rigs.

Keywords:Digital Twin, Non-linear system dynamics modelling, Virtual sensing, Load and stress estimation, Model order reduction

Disciplines:Computer aided engineering, simulation and design, Mechanical drive systems, Acoustics, noise and vibration engineering, Sensing, estimation and actuating, Electrical Power Engineering not elsewhere classified