A digital twins concept model for integrated maintenance: a case study for crane operation
Abstract The paper presents an Integrated Maintenance Decision Making Model (IMDMM) concept for cranes under operation especially into the container type terminals. The target is to improve cranes operational efficiency through minimizing the risk of the Gantry Cranes Inefficiency (GCI) results based on the implementation of the Digital Twins concept for maintenance purposes. The proposed model makes a joint transportation process and crane maintenance scheduling, relevant to assure more robust performances in stochastic environments, as well as to assess and optimize performances at different levels, from components and transport device to production systems (container terminal). The crane operation risk is estimated with a sequential Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation model and the optimization model behind of IMDMM is supported through the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithms because the objective function a non-linear stochastics problem with bounded constrains. The developed model allows the container terminal operators (management process) to obtain a maintenance schedule that minimizes the GCI (holistic indicator), as well as establishing the desired level of risk. The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed maintenance decision making concept model for cranes under operation using data from of a real container terminal (case study).