Metamodeling approach for creating an abstract representation of simulation tools concepts

Models have always been adopted in trades implemented in Systems Engineering (SE). Those models go from concrete representations, such as reduced plans or models, to abstract ones like equations systems. In this context, SysML became an SE standard because of its capabilities of supporting the specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of a broad range of systems and systems-of-systems. However, SysML descriptive models are insufficient to perform system behavior verifications. This lack can be handled by simulation process that allows performing experiments on models to eliminate poor design alternatives, and ensures that a preferred alternative meets the stakeholders' objectives. As design process efficiency is considerably reduced by the fact that both system modeling and simulation tools are often used separately, several research works aim combining and integrating both approaches in a common framework. This paper proposes a study of common constructs, semantics and modeling methodologies of simulation tools on the basis of whom we define a modeling language that we name: Simulation Modeling Language. This latter is aimed to bridge the gap between SysML modeling and various simulation tools. © 2016 IEEE.