Work

TwinChain: a blockchain-enabled digital twin framework for transparent construction material management

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Construction material management is a complex challenge involving fast tracking, full visibility and real-time decision making. Those traditional systems are inefficient, siloed and have no traceability, which results in higher costs and delays. To address the shortcomings of current approaches, this study proposes a blockchain-based digital twin framework by combining blockchain and digital twin technologies, which empowers real-time tracking, audit trails that cannot be tampered with, and automated workflows through smart contracts A new proposed method, called Trust-Weighted Event-Driven Twin–Ledger Synchronization (TWES), grounds material state changes to the ledger when the material–digital deviation is larger than a tolerance, validates such changes through a trust-weighted, reputation-adaptive multi-stakeholder PBFT consensus protocol, and converts validated changes to automated closed-loop actions. The system architecture consists of Physical (IoT, RFID), Digital Twin, Blockchain (Hyperledger Fabric) and Application layers. Validation was conducted in two ways: simulation testing evaluated transaction throughput, latency, and data integrity while a real-world pilot in Mumbai tested real-world performance. The results indicate TwinChain performance of 450 TPS, 99.8% data integrity, and high level of security (9.4/10). The pilot in Mumbai delivered impressive results: 65% fewer documentation disputes, 74% higher inventory efficiency and 32% fewer losses. In general, the experimental outcomes reveal the superior transparency, efficiency and reliability of TwinChain compared to the traditional systems and prior studies.

Source: Results in Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2026.113340