A Formal Transformation Method for Automated Fault Tree Generation From a UML Activity Model

• Published in: IEEE transactions on reliability 2018-09, Vol.67 (3), p.1219-1236
• Main Authors: Dickerson, Charles E., Roslan, Rosmira, Ji, Siyuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allocations; Fault propagation chain; fault tree analysis; Fault trees; Flow mapping; Formal transformation; Metamodeling; model transformation; Object oriented programming; Probability; Probability theory; State machines; system behavior model; System of systems; Traffic management; Unified modeling language
• ISSN: 0018-9529; 1558-1721
• DOI: 10.1109/TR.2018.2849013

Fault analysis and resolution of faults should be part of any end-to-end system development process. This paper is concerned with developing a formal transformation method that maps control flows modeled in unified modeling language activities to semantically equivalent fault trees. The transformation method developed features the use of propositional calculus and probability theory. Fault propagation chains are introduced to facilitate the method. An overarching metamodel comprised of transformations between models is developed and is applied to an understood traffic management system of systems problem to demonstrate the approach. In this way, the relational structure of the system behavior model is reflected in the structure of the fault tree. The paper concludes with a discussion of limitations of the transformation method and proposes approaches to extend it to object flows, state machines, and functional allocations.