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IFAC PapersOnLine 53-5 (2020) 732–737

Application and Development Prospect of Digital Twin Technology in Aerospace

Application and Development Prospect of Digital Twin Technology in Aerospace
Application
Application and
and Development
Development Prospect
Prospect of Digital
ofWANG
YIN Z H*. Digital Twin
Twin Technology
L.** Technology in
in Aerospace
Aerospace
YIN Z H*. WANG L.**
* Nanjing University YIN of ZAeronautics
H*. WANG andL.**
Astronautics, Nanjing
* Nanjing 210016 YIN
CO University of Z
China H*. WANG
Aeronautics andL.**
Astronautics, Nanjing
(yzh19951210@nuaa.edu.cn).
* Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing
* Nanjing CO University
210016 China (yzh19951210@nuaa.edu.cn).
of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing
CO 210016 China (yzh19951210@nuaa.edu.cn).
* Nanjing COCO University
210016
210016 ofChina
China Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing
(yzh19951210@nuaa.edu.cn).
(liwang@nuaa.edu.cn).
* Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing
* Nanjing CO 210016ofChina
University (liwang@nuaa.edu.cn).
Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing
CO 210016 China (liwang@nuaa.edu.cn).
CO 210016 China (liwang@nuaa.edu.cn).
Abstract: The digital twin can be seen as the link between the physical and digital worlds, and has
Abstract: The digitalattention
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in aerospace. of the digital twin is discussed, focusing on the current situation of digital twin applications
development of theThe digital twin Thisis discussed, focusing on theunder
access article
an openCyber-Physical currentthe situation
CC BY-NC-ND of digitallicensetwin applications
Copyright
in aerospace.
Keywords:
in aerospace.
© 2020
Digital twin, Authors.
Internet of isthings, Systems, Aerospace, Research and Design,
(http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
Keywords: Digital twin,Production
Operation maintenance, Internet ofand things, Cyber-Physical
manufacturing, Systems,
Full life cycle. Aerospace, Research and Design,
Keywords: Digital twin, Internet of things, Cyber-Physical Systems, Aerospace, Research and Design,
Operation maintenance,
Keywords: Digital twin,Production Internet ofand manufacturing,
things, Cyber-Physical Full life cycle. Aerospace, Research and Design,
Systems,
Operation maintenance, Production and manufacturing, Full life cycle.
Operation maintenance, Production and manufacturing, Full life cycle.
1. INTRODUCTION With the proliferation of the Industrial Internet of Things
1. INTRODUCTION With
(IoT), the proliferation
digital of the Industrial
twin technology has gainedInternet widespread
of Things
With the proliferation of the Industrial Internet widespread
of Things
The digital twin is 1. a INTRODUCTION
multidisciplinary,
1. INTRODUCTION multi-physics, multi- (IoT),
With the
importance digital in twin technology
proliferation
various of the
fields. has gained
Industrial
Developed Internet
in of Things
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(IoT), digital twin technology has gained widespread
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scaledigital
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twin technology
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in has in aerospace,
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The digital twin is a multidisciplinary, multi-physics, multi- importance digital twin
in various fields. Developed in aerospace, the
has begun
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integration twin
of model that takes
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data, andofmulti- the urban,
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in aerospace,
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entities
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[4][5], are currently
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and
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technology into the public view[3]. are representative.
Astronautics, and Northwest Polytechnical University, which
technology into the public view . are representative.
2405-8963 Copyright © 2020 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
are representative.
Peer review under responsibility of International Federation of Automatic Control.
10.1016/j.ifacol.2021.04.165
 H. Yin Z et al. / IFAC PapersOnLine 53-5 (2020) 732–737
① A digital simulation system for aircraft power supply
system is developed. ②The configuration method of aircraft
hybrid power supply system is researched[9]. ③ The
intelligent optimization design method of power supply
system structure is developed[10]. ④ The real-time semi-
physical test platform of aircraft power distribution system
based on RT-LAB platform was built, and the modelling and
simulation technology of aircraft power system was studied,
as well as the key technology of system-level digital joint
simulation. ⑤ The "virtual reality + Internet" technology was
integrated into the experiment of the power supply system of
large multi-electric aircraft, and the virtual simulation
experiment platform for power supply management and fault
reconstruction of multi-electric aircraft, as shown in Figure 1,
was developed for the sharing of industrial and social
resources. Subsequently, a digital twin experimental
verification platform for aircraft power supply system can be
built based on this.
Fig. 1. Virtual simulation experiment of aircraft power supply
system
The Industry 4.0 Institute classifies the digital twin into the
simulation, connection and data factions based on the core of
the application scenarios so that the early simulation
modelling work can lay the foundation for the development
of digital twin technology.
2. DIGITAL TWIN CONCEPT CLARIFICATION
In order to research digital twin technology, it is first
necessary to identify the basic concepts related to digital twin
technology. There are different views on the relationship
between digital twin and concepts such as simulation, cyber-
physical systems (CPS), and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Although these concepts are closely related, they are still
fundamentally different. Therefore, this section examines the
relationship between this concept based on the aircraft digital
twin and identifies the relationship between the digital twin
and simulation, cyber-physical systems, and IoT.
2.1 Digital Twin and simulation
733
The digital twin is a precise mapping of physical entities in
the information space and the existence of an identical
physical entity. The digital twin will change in real-time
according to the change of state of the physical entity, which
is an inversion and mapping of the current state of the
physical entity. Simulation is based on the existing entity to
build a model and to simulate the possible state of the
physical entity in advance, and analyse the possible state
change of the physical entity based on the simulation result.
Therefore, it can be seen that the digital twin is a model, a
description of things, while the simulation is based on the
model of various activities, there is a big difference between
the simulation and digital twin, and should not be confused
with each other.
2.2 Digital Twin ,CPS and IoT
The Internet of Things is based on the connection between
physical assets through which data can be transmitted.
Connections are made possible by the secure implementation
of computer networks and communication protocols. This
communication is based on typical network protocols or
proprietary protocols. However, IoT does not include the
concept of analytics in Cyber-Physical Systems. CPS is based
on the transfer of information between physical assets, the
extraction of knowledge from the information, and based on
the results of the information analysis and processing to
obtain control commands and re-act this control commands
on the physical assets. Thus IoT can be viewed as the
infrastructure for the implementation of CPS.
The digital twin can also be considered as the foundation of
CPS. Establishing a digital twin model means establishing a
digital virtual body based on the physical entity. The digital
twin goes through a process of approximating the physical
entity's shape and state until it appears to be complete
harmony with the physical entity. "resemblance". This part
plus the simulation of the model corresponds to the
information system in the CPS, adding the simulation part
and the control part of the digital virtual entity based on
establishing the digital twin, i.e., based on the simulation and
prediction results of the digital twin through autonomous
decision making, using the controller to control the physical
entity, optimizing the operation state of the physical entity
and realizing the iterative optimization part of the virtual and
real objects, which can constitute the completed CPS. based
on the above analysis, the relationship between the aircraft
digital twin and CPS and IoT can be derived, as shown in
Figure 2.
Cyber-Physical System
（CPS ）
Physical system
simulation
Control system
Digital twin
simulation
Simulation
Data
Control
Physical entity
IOT
Fig. 2 The relationship of digital twin, simulation, CPS and
IOT
734 H. Yin Z et al. / IFAC PapersOnLine 53-5 (2020) 732–737
From the above diagram, it can be seen that CPS contains
three parts: digital twin, simulation and IoT. The IoT mainly
includes the physical entity of the aircraft and the
communication between the physical entity and the digital
twin. The digital twin is constructed based on the physical
entity, and the digital twin should have a high-precision
simulation model corresponding to the physical entity. The
digital twin can be modified based on the output data from
the physical entity so that it continually approximates the
physical entity and can reflect the operation state of the
physical entity in real-time. The simulation part is based on
the digital twin's simulation prediction. The combination of
the digital twin, simulation, and IoT can form a CPS system.
The digital twin and simulation correspond to the information
part of CPS, while the Internet of Things (IoT) corresponds
to the physical and communication parts of CPS.
Clarifying the relationship between digital twin, CPS system,
Internet of Things (IoT) and simulation can help us further to
understand the meaning and extension of digital twin
technology and lay the foundation for further research.
3. APPLICATION OF DIGITAL TWIN IN AEROSPACE
Digital twin technology was first applied in the aerospace
field. Therefore, it is important to analyse the current status
of digital twin applications in aerospace and lay the
foundation for applications in other fields.
3.1 Application of digital twin technology in aviation
The composition of modern aircraft is becoming more and
more complex, as shown in [11]: ①the number of components
that make up an aircraft is extensive, and each component has
its characteristics, and the coupling between components will
derive some new characteristics; ② the dynamic
characteristics are strong, and the state of the components
changes rapidly with time; ③the aircraft flight environment
is uncertain, and the probability of complex systems suffering
accidental damage in a highly uncertain environment
increases, making the aircraft more vulnerable to damage. It
is not easy to ensure system reliability. ④ periodic
maintenance when facing a complex system, there is a lack of
accurate estimation of the current state of the system, which
is prone to too frequent inspection and maintenance, or
premature failure of the system due to untimely maintenance,
resulting in high maintenance costs and insufficient reliability
of the aircraft[12]. Therefore, the emergence of the digital twin
presents a new research idea to solve the above problems.
In the aviation sector, some research has been carried out on
the digital twin. This research has been carried out across
aircraft design and development, aircraft manufacturing, and
aircraft operation and maintenance. Figure3 shows a diagram
of the aircraft digital twin.
The digital twin consists of three components: the physical
entity of the aircraft, the digital twin, and communication
between the physical entity and the digital twin. The digital
twin is continuously modified by data collected from sensors
present in the physical entity, and the digital twin controls the
physical entity through inversion and prediction. This allows
the simulation of the entire life cycle of the aircraft from
design to maintenance.
Decision-making
Model
Physical Entity Digital Twin
resaerch and develop
production-manufacturing
operation and maintenance
Sensor
Data
Fig. 3. A digital twin system framework for airplane
In terms of design development, the establishment of a digital
twin allows for quality prediction and early identification of
product defects at the early stages of design. In the digital
twin, product design can be continuously optimized to reduce
development costs.
In manufacturing, the establishment of the digital twin
optimizes the manufacturing process, optimizes the
scheduling scheme, and allows for more rational evaluation
of scheduling decisions and allocation of resources.
In terms of system operation and maintenance, the
development of digital twin technology can not only monitor
the operation status of the product in real-time, but also
predict the future working status and possible faults of the
product based on the collected data, to make independent
decisions, optimize the maintenance schedule, reduce the
number of overhauls, and improve the reliability of product
operation.
Generally speaking, the application of digital twin in aviation
is still at an early stage. Developed countries such as the
United States and Europe have actively applied digital twin
technology in the whole life cycle of aircraft[13], and have
carried out a lot of research and exploration of application
practice from design[14], manufacturing[15] and operation and
maintenance, and are continually seeking breakthrough
technology based on this.
3.2 Application of digital twin technology in space
With the rapid development of space technology, the
structure and composition of space vehicles are becoming
more and more complex, and the performance and technical
level are continually improving; under this circumstance, it
has become an important issue to be solved in the field of
space technology to ensure the more durable and stable
operation of space vehicles in the complex space
environment[16].
The sustained and rapid development of the defence science
and technology industry and the aerospace industry over the
years has led to increasing diversity, complexity and

intensification of aerospace model missions, which are
characterized by short development cycles and high-quality
requirements. At the same time, with the increasing number
of on-orbit models and the continuous growth of spacecraft
service time, the difficulty of their maintenance support is
also becoming more and more prominent. Model-Based
Systems Engineering (MBSE) is playing an increasingly
important role in the field of spacecraft design and
manufacturing[17]. It is changing people's lives. Driven by
new technologies as well as the rapid development of
demand, it makes functional diversity of spacecraft possible
and poses a significant challenge to the spacecraft industry.
For the application of digital twin technology in the
aerospace field, it can be divided into four main parts: ①
overall spacecraft design, ② detailed spacecraft design, ③
spacecraft manufacturing, and ④spacecraft in-orbit control.
Figure 4 shows a diagram of the spacecraft digital twin.
Physical Entity Model
Decision-making
Shorten the design cycle
Identify the structure and
parameters
Management
Optimize manufacturing process
Autonomous decision-making
Effective remote control
On-orbit Control
Sensor
Data
Fig.4. A digital twin system framework for space
There is a lack of understanding and communication of
requirements between different departments, and it is prone
to iterative problems in the design process. The application of
digital twin technology in intelligent spacecraft design aims
to use digital twin technology to build an information-
physical fusion design simulation system[18], shorten the
design cycle, and meet the demand for faster, better, and
more reliable spacecraft in the overall design process.
The detailed spacecraft design is based on the conceptual
requirements proposed in the overall design and theoretical
knowledge of multiple disciplines to transform the
conceptual design into the design of the specific structure,
parameters and functions of the spacecraft, which requires the
conflicting design of multiple systems and iterative iterations
based on external and internal feedback and requirements.
The traditional spacecraft design model is based on a
document, which has problems such as inconsistent
information, unclear descriptions, and communication
difficulties. The establishment of a spacecraft digital twin can
identify and predict the specific structure and parameters of
the spacecraft at the early stage of design, and optimize the
rationality of specific parameters during the design process,
enabling the spacecraft design to expand more functional
requirements, achieve shorter development cycle, and faster
parameter iteration and optimization based on meeting
predetermined targets.
H. Yin Z et al. / IFAC PapersOnLine 53-5 (2020) 732–737 735
Spacecraft manufacturing includes the comprehensive
coordination and control of spacecraft products and the
mechanical processing workshop, welding workshop,
electrical assembly workshop, etc. This link determines the
manufacturing quality and efficiency of the spacecraft. A
great deal of research has been carried out in manufacturing,
such as the study of final assembly line control architecture
based on digital twin [19] and simulation and control of tooling
equipment driven by digital twin[20]. However, there is still a
long way to go to achieve a full element and full life cycle
spacecraft digital twin. Therefore, in order to address the
problems and needs faced in the spacecraft manufacturing
process, the application of digital twin technology in the
spacecraft manufacturing process needs to be actively carried
out in order to optimize the manufacturing process, optimize
the scheduling scheme, and improve the production
efficiency.
In-orbit management and control of spacecraft refer to the
practical application phase of their missions and services
Digital Twin
after they have entered orbit. The process includes on-orbit
operations, on-orbit maintenance, on-orbit updates, fault
Design
prediction and health management. Traditional spacecraft
cannot predict failures and reconstruct the system after
Manufacture
failures occur, which can result in substantial economic
losses in case of failures in actual applications. Therefore, the
establishment of a spacecraft digital twin can research the
prediction of spacecraft failures and health management, and
based on the results of health management, autonomous
decision making, autonomous management and effective
remote control can be carried out to improve the reliability of
spacecraft operation.
From the above analysis, we can see that digital twin
technology has far-reaching implications in the aerospace
industry. Throughout the whole development process and the
whole life cycle of the spacecraft, digital twin technology has
a profound impact on the aerospace industry. At present, the
application and development of digital twin technology in the
aerospace industry are still at an early stage, but it is still of
great significance. Therefore, research based on the critical
technology of digital twin needs to be carried out in order to
meet the requirements of future more complex spacecraft.
4. THE DEVELOPMENT PROSPECT OF DIGITAL TWIN
IN CHINA’S AEROSPACE FIELD
At present, China's aerospace industry is developing rapidly.
Digital twin technology has significant application potential.
In aviation, a great deal of research has been conducted and
some of the technologies have been applied overseas in the
field of aviation digital twin technology. Among them is the
Airframe Digital Twin (ADT) concept proposed by the U.S.
Air Force in 2011[21], which can accurately predict the future
behaviour of an aircraft and guide decision-makers to
customize a management plan for each aircraft in order to
extend its service life and reduce maintenance costs. The U.S.
Air Force and General Electric have conducted a series of
studies to implement ADT. In China, the application of
digital twin in aviation is still in its infancy and has yet to
involve practical applications and critical technology research.
736 H. Yin Z et al. / IFAC PapersOnLine 53-5 (2020) 732–737
Therefore, digital twin technology has important
development potential in the aviation field.
In the aerospace field, the digital twin still has excellent
potential for application. It is expected that around 2021,
China will build a near-Earth space station and enter the
operation and management phase[22]. The traditional
spacecraft management model is to establish a corresponding
ground-based physical companion system, but this approach
has excellent shortcomings. First of all, a ground-based
physical entity identical to the actual spacecraft needs to be
built, which has high construction cost and long construction
period. Moreover, the ground test cannot fully simulate the
actual operating environment. Each accompanying physical
system can only correspond to a fixed spacecraft, which is
not universal. The above problems can be solved if digital
twin technology is adopted to establish a virtual
accompaniment system for the physical entities of spacecraft.
The digital twin is a high-precision simulation model that
corresponds to the physical entity and should have the ability
to interact with the physical entity in both directions, and
based on the output data of the physical entity. The digital
twin can be modified so that it continually approximates the
physical entity and can reflect the operation state of the
physical entity in real-time. Simulation and prediction based
on the digital twin can not only provide a decision reference
for the operation state of the physical entity but also allow
autonomous decision-making, using the controller to control
the physical entity and optimize the operation state of the
physical entity.
At present, there are still some challenges to developing
digital twin technology in the aerospace field: ① The
construction of the digital twin is a comprehensive
technology involving multiple fields and levels, which itself
shows the difficulty of its realization. ②There is no mature
technical architecture or standard for digital twin construction
in the aerospace field, so there is still a long way to go from
modelling to the establishment of an intelligent and
automated digital twin. ③ There is no unified specification
for data management, and the lack of data may lead to errors
in digital twin simulation and decision making when using
data for analysis and decision making. ④In terms of virtual
experiment implementation, the interaction between software
and familiar interface technology is not mature, and there is
no definite interaction specification between software, which
makes it challenging to realize multi-domain software
development, integration and operation platform.
Moreover, due to the unique nature of the aerospace industry,
there are some drawbacks in conducting digital twin research,
mainly in two aspects: ① Complete reliance on artificial
intelligence and ignoring the importance and priority of
human decision making will affect the operational safety of
the aircraft; ② To bring the digital twin closer to physical
entities, the number of sensors needs to be increased, thus
increasing the weight of the aircraft.
5. CONCLUSIONS
This paper analyses and discusses the application of the
digital twin technology in the aerospace field. Firstly, the
basic concept of digital twin is introduced. After that, the
current situation and application scenarios of the digital twin
in the aerospace and aviation fields are explained respectively.
The main points are the initial design, manufacturing and
operation and maintenance of digital twin. Finally, the
current research status of digital twin technology in China's
aerospace field is compared with that of foreign countries,
and it is concluded that the application of digital twin
technology in China's aerospace field has a great prospect of
development, and the challenges facing the development of
digital twin technology are analysed. The theoretical
foundation was laid for the subsequent research work.
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