An Analysis of Solver-Based Simulation Tools

Published

March 7, 2012

Author(s)

Ion Matei, Conrad E. Bock

Abstract

Computer-interpretable representations of systems’ structure and behavior are at the center of designing today’s complex systems. Engineers create and review such representations using (graphical) modeling languages that support specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of systems that include hardware, software, data, personnel, procedures, and facilities (such as the Systems Modeling Language, an extension of the Unified Modeling Language). However, these languages are usually not enough in the analysis and design steps of the engineering process and they must be enhanced with domain specific tools for simulation and performance analysis. These tools are often used separately and sequentially, which reduces the efficiency of the design process. As a result, there is an increasing need for integrating different simulating tools under one common framework. In this report, we analyze a set of general purpose simulation and performance analysis tools for dynamical systems. We study their common constructs and their semantics in order to build an abstract model of these tools. This abstract representation is aimed to facilitate the integration of multiple simulation tools into a common framework.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 7846

Report Number

7846

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.7846

Keywords

simulation tools, system modeling, simulation analysis, virtual environment, SysML

Citation

Matei, I. and Bock, C. (2012), An Analysis of Solver-Based Simulation Tools, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.7846 (Accessed May 13, 2026)

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