A systematic evaluation of the quality of simulation models

Assessment metrics and validation

Abstract

The evaluation of the quality of simulation models is still a principal challenge in all phases of the plant and product life cycle. At the same time, an objective and widely applicable quality metric becomes necessary when a simulation model becomes part of the delivery of a plant or its components and is further developed and applied as an essential part of the digital twin or the related asset administration shell or it is further reused over the whole life cycle. In the first part of this article "Identification and Clustering of Quality Criteria" (atp magazin 6/7-2020) attributes were identified which serve as a basis for the evaluation of the quality of simulation models. In this second part of the paper different evaluation mechanisms are introduced, which allow a quantified classification into different quality levels. In addition, the paper describes the insights gained from the validation of the completed metric and points out the need for further development and discussion.