Integration of Pavement Finite Element simulation with Digital Twin: Current Practices, Emerging Trends, and Future Enablers

In the transition towards Construction 5.0, intelligent systems, such as predictive Digital Twins (DTs), have emerged as a critical solution in infrastructure assets management. This is by leveraging advanced simulations and analytical methods for accurate asset condition prediction. However, while simulations are essential for enabling predictive DTs, existing literature often overlooks the role of pavement simulation within developed DTs. This paper systematically leverages the literature on Finite Element (FE) modelling for pavement performance prediction to assess the current state and practice of simulations, identifies trends in simulation integration, proposes advancements to enhance the incorporation of FE models within DTs, and proposes an architecture for the integration. Finally, the study concludes with a call for future research directions to address existing gaps, aiming to advance DTs for intelligent and sustainable pavement management.