Model-Based Feature Information Network (MFIN): A Digital Twin Framework to Integrate Location-Specific Material Behavior Within Component Design, Manufacturing, and Performance Analysis

The digital transformation of manufacturing requires digitalization, including automatic and efficient data exchange. Model-based definitions (MBDs) capture digital product definitions, in order to eliminate error-prone information exchange associated with traditional paper-based drawings and to provide contextual information through additional metadata. The flow of MBDs extends throughout the product lifecycle (including the design, analysis, manufacturing, in service life, and retirement stages) and can be extended beyond the typical geometry and tolerance information within a computer-aided design. In this paper, the MBDs are extended to include materials information, via dynamic linkages. To this end, a model-based feature information network (MFIN) is created to provide a comprehensive framework that facilitates storing, updating, searching, and retrieving of relevant information across a product’s lifecycle. The use case of a damage tolerant analysis for a compressor bladed-disk (blisk) is demonstrated, in Ti-6Al-4V blade(s) linear friction welded to the Ti-6Al-4V disk, creating well-defined regions exhibiting grain refinement and high residuals stresses. By capturing the location-specific microstructure and residual stress values at the weld regions, this information is accessed within the MFIN and used for downstream damage tolerant analysis. The introduction of the MFIN framework facilitates access to dynamically evolving data for use within physics-based models (resulting in the opportunity to reduce uncertainty in subsequent prognosis analyses), thereby enabling a digital twin description of the component or system.