DOI: 10.18503/1995-2732-2026-24-3-143-149
Abstract
Problem Statement (Relevance). At the current stage of development of production systems, predicting their behavior under changing conditions is an important task. This can be achieved by developing a simulation model of a production system incorporating a network of production flows. At the model development stage, it is necessary to determine the level of detail required to describe the structure of a production flow that makes it possible to achieve the modeling objective while maintaining model accuracy. Objectives and Methods Applied. The study addresses the feasibility of using a simplified process model for simulating production systems, specifically, a network of production processes (flows). For this purpose, two simulation models with different structures have been developed for the same production flow. The base (detailed) model fully reproduces the structure of the flow, whereas the equivalent model has a simpler structure, while its characteristics and behavior correspond to those of the detailed model with a certain degree of accuracy. Based on a series of tests of these simulation models, the feasibility of replacing the detailed production flow model with its equivalent model has been analyzed. The models have been tested under conditions of no variability in the operation of workstation equipment (the best-case scenario) and under conditions where such variability is present (the practical scenario). Results. The test results for both the cases with and without variability in equipment operation are in good agreement with each other and with the theoretical behavior of the production flow. Practical Relevance. An equivalent simulation model of a production flow makes it possible to simplify the model of a production-flow network and, consequently, reduce the costs associated with its development and testing. At the same time, sufficient accuracy of the obtained results (production flow characteristics) is maintained. Therefore, the use of equivalent models of production flows is considered appropriate for simulating their behavior.
Keywords
production flow, simulation model, production flow characteristics, throughput, cycle time, work-in-process
For citation
Zaporozhtsev A.V., Khazova Ver.I., Khazova Vik.I. Analysis of the Feasibility of Replacing a Detailed Production Flow Model with its Equivalent Model. Vestnik Magnitogorskogo Gosudarstvennogo Tekhnicheskogo Universiteta im. G.I. Nosova [Vestnik of Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University]. 2026, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 143-149. https://doi.org/10.18503/1995-2732-2026-24-3-143-149
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