Controlled simplification of material flow simulation models

In this paper a method for controlled simplification is presented, which is able to create simplified models with specific properties concerning complexity and behavioral deviation automatically. The method requires a finite set of model component classes, of which instances a user-defined model can be created. Two techniques for simplification are used: aggregation, where a large set of components is substituted by a small set, and omission, where components are deleted without compensation. A set of simplification rules concerning the simplification techniques, the component classes and the model structures line and parallel line are defined. These rules are used by a simplification algorithm, which is embedded in a control loop of complexity measurement and behavior measurement.