TRR 339:  Digital twin of the road system – Physical-informational representation of the future road system

• Subject Area: Construction Engineering and Architecture ; Geosciences ; Computer Science, Systems and Electrical Engineering ; Mechanical and Industrial Engineering ; Materials Science and Engineering ; Social and Behavioural Sciences
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 453596084

The mobility of people and goods is a central basis of our modern society with increasingly global and diverse networked processes. In its present form, mobility, especially with regard to road traffic, is currently confronted with global challenges (durability, safety, efficiency, ecology, costs, automation etc.) that urgently require fundamental solutions. In the planned SFB/TRR 339 (TU Dresden, RWTH Aachen), a spatially and temporally multi-dimensional, digital/virtual image (reality model in space and time) of vehicle, tires and road surface (concrete and asphalt) taking into account the road pavements (integrated multi-functionality) can be developed and researched. The reality model combines all available and relevant information about the "Road of the Future" from physical investigations and modeling as well as from informational and traffic data (sensor data, data models etc.). It enables and requires the interaction between the physical-structural and the informational-traffic design level. This interactive reality model in space and time is called the digital twin of the road system and is used in perspective to analyze, control and forecast the physical original (real road system consisting of vehicle, tires, lane, nearby street space) by means of common interfaces. The extension of the road to a high-tech platform is to be developed using the new, interdisciplinary research approach (civil engineering, computer science, society). The research approach is based on a three-stage development strategy: In Phase I, the required submodels are designed and developed. In Phase II, the partial models are combined using common, standardized interfaces and integrated into a holistic model of the road system (digital shadow), which in Phase III will allow the analysis and control of the road system with its own control components (digital twin). The aim is to achieve the vehicle's already high level of development in the same way for the road system, so that a new quality of integration of vehicles and infrastructure can also be achieved. The overriding aspects of law and sustainability shall be explicitly included in the conception and development of the digital twin of the road system from the start on. The digital twin of the road system will lead to an intelligent, gentle and sustainable use of the road infrastructure. Other expected results are groundbreaking condition forecasts, interfaces to local traffic control, the optimal synthesis of building materials and structures, interfaces to automated driving and the reduction of emissions, e.g. by minimizing traffic jam scenarios or long-lasting road infrastructure components (use of resources).

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios

Current projects

• A01 - Physical, numerical modelling of the functionalized road at loading by tires (Project Heads Kaliske, Michael ;  Wollny, Ines )
• A02 - The chassis as data source for the digital twin of the road system (Project Head Eckstein, Lutz )
• A03 - Sensitive road surface layer: Detection of wheel loads with high temporal and spatial resolution (Project Heads Liu, Ph.D., Pengfei ;  Oeser, Markus )
• A04 - Synthesis of real-life loads in pavements using novel laboratory techniques (Project Head Wellner, Frohmut )
• A05 - Jointless concrete base layer – Sustainable, durable, functionalized (concrete base layer) (Project Heads Liebscher, Marco ;  Mechtcherine, Viktor )
• A06 - Optimization of high-performance asphalt concrete for a durable physical platform of a cyber-physical system (CPS) of the road (asphalt concrete base layer) (Project Head Leischner, Sabine )
• A07 - Interaction between the road construction and the subsoil (Project Head Herle, Ivo )
• A08 - Wireless communication systems for the data transmission of integrated sensors in future road systems (Project Head Plettemeier, Dirk )
• B01 - Adaptive geometric-semantic multi-LOD road infrastructure construction model of the cyber-physical system (CPS) of the road (Project Head Blankenbach, Jörg )
• B02 - Functionalization of roadside sensors for the generation of complex traffic-related load data (Project Heads Fazekas, Adrian ;  Oeser, Markus )
• B03 - Generating highly accurate positioning data using cooperative sensor data fusion (Project Heads Alrifaee, Bassam ;  Kowalewski, Stefan )
• B04 - Model and data synthesis of the tire-road system (long-term forecast) taking into account polymorphic uncertainty (Project Head Kaliske, Michael )
• B05 - Coupling of intrusive and non-intrusive locally decomposed model order reduction techniques for rapid simulations of road systems (Project Heads Brepols, Tim ;  Reese, Stefanie )
• B06 - Efficient twinning in the digital twin of the road system (Project Heads Lehner, Wolfgang ;  Thiele, Maik )
• B07 - Consistency of multi-physical and multi-scale simulation models for the digital twin of the road system (Project Head Aßmann, Uwe )
• C01 - Legal and political challenges of the cyber-physical social road system (Project Head Müller-Mall, Sabine )
• C02 - Life cycle sustainability assessment for a digital twin of the road system (Project Head Traverso, Marzia )
• INF - Information infrastructure of the SFB/TRR 339 (Project Heads Aßmann, Uwe ;  Kaliske, Michael ;  Lehner, Wolfgang )
• MGK - Integrated research training group (Project Heads Fazekas, Adrian ;  Wollny, Ines )
• Z - Central tasks of the SFB/TRR 339 (Project Head Kaliske, Michael )

• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Dresden
• Co-Applicant Institution: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr.-Ing. Michael Kaliske