A team has built an explicit finite element digital twin of a pressurised unplasticised PVC (uPVC) pipe subjected to low velocity impacts, and validated it using embedded sensor telemetry from within the material itself. The model reproduces the structural response of the tube during the strike, allowing direct comparison between numerical predictions and the real-time measurements recorded by the embedded sensors.

The work addresses a long-standing practical problem in water infrastructure management: pressurised uPVC water pipes are vulnerable to accidental strikes during construction works, and predicting their behaviour under impact is difficult without internal data. Explicit finite element digital twins are the natural tool for simulating fast events such as these, but their reliability depends on having field measurements against which to test them.

The validation relies on embedded sensors transmitting telemetry during the test, making it possible to tune and verify the numerical model against the real response of the pressurised pipe. The result is an experimentally validated digital twin, not merely a calibrated one, that captures the dynamics of low velocity impact on the pipeline.

Having a validated model opens the door to assessing the condition of pipes in service and anticipating damage without resorting to destructive testing, a tool of use to water network operators and to the design of protections against accidental impacts.