SysML process chains in MBSE: Systematic literature review and future research directions

Abstract

• Introducing SysML process chains and system models as integrated frameworks in MBSE. • Review to investigate applications and implementation of SysML process chains. • Analysis of different model transformation approaches within SysML process chains. • Introduction of a framework for the development of SysML process chains. • Application of the introduced framework for a SysML – CAD process chain. Effective engineering process involving different engineering domains requires the linking of various engineering processes. This linkage must consider procedural, data interchange and organisational aspects and is referred to as a process chain . This article presents the results of a systematic literature review, to analyse existing process chains that are used to perform Model-based Systems Engineering activities. This process chain contains SysML models and is characterised by different purposes and implementations. In the systematic literature review, 412 publications are considered and 43 publications are analysed in detail. The results of this analysis indicate that in most process chains SysML models serve as source models to generate different types of simulation models. Here, structural and behavioural aspects of the SysML models are reused to support engineering tasks in architecture definition as well as verification and validation. Moreover, the in-depth analysis of the implementations indicates that application-specific interfaces are used to transform model information within the process chains. Leveraging on the executed literature study and the properties of process chains, this paper introduces an initial framework for developing SysML process chains and presents an exemplary application considering a process chain connecting SysML and CAD models.

Topics & Concepts