Digital Twin of Rail for Defect Analysis

In the current era, digital twins serve as a critical technological advancement, enabling real-time monitoring and predictive analysis that significantly improve the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of various infrastructures. Despite their potential, digital twins for railway infrastructure lack research and funding. The paper introduces an innovative approach to railway track inspection by developing a procedural digital twin model. By using Open Street Maps data a track is generated. Then defects from inspection data are placed on this track to create a realistic digital twin. The model aims to revolutionize defect visualization and assessment in railway infrastructure using Mixed Reality application. The paper addresses the different issues along the way such as inaccuracies of GPS points, modeling of defects, placement of defects on the rail, and texturing the defects to make it look natural or prominent. The paper aims to enhance defect visualization and assessment in rail maintenance.