The FLEXICON co-simulation tools applied to a marine application

Development of distributed control systems requires tools that can deal with high complexity, integration of design information from multiple domains, and analysis support for the overall design covering both technical and commercial performance. Currently, no integrated set of multidisciplinary design tools exist that can do this. The FLEXICON project created a toolset for marine, automotive, and aerospace (MAA) applications, allowing simulation and assessment of system performance prior to implementation and support for rapid prototyping. In this paper the application of the FLEXICON MAA co-simulation toolset to a Rolls—Royce high-speed ship demonstrator is described. Results collected by Rolls—Royce during the demonstration activities showed that a reduction of 30 per cent in the development time could be achieved using the toolset.