Improving the decision power of rank theorems

The analysis of Petri net models based on structural theory is in general more efficient than behavioral techniques. Moreover, it provides a better understanding of the system, that can be used to correct failures. Unfortunately, structural analysis does not always allow these decisions. In this paper the applicability of structural techniques for liveness analysis, particularly those based on the rank of the token-flow matrix, is extended by means of transformations. The application of these techniques is illustrated by their use in the analysis of a manufacturing example