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Open And Filled Hole Static Tensile Strength Characterization Of Metal Matrix Composite Scs-9/Β21s, Jacob T. Roush Dec 1992

Open And Filled Hole Static Tensile Strength Characterization Of Metal Matrix Composite Scs-9/Β21s, Jacob T. Roush

Theses and Dissertations

SCS-9/β21s has a reduced gauge thickness, in comparison with other metal matrix composites, due to a smaller diameter fiber. This reduced gauge thickness makes it an attractive candidate for the skin of hypersonic vehicles. Tensile testing of (0/90)2s and (O/±45/90)s laminates was performed at room temperature, 482°C, and 650°C. Both notched and unnotched specimens were tested. Notched specimens, open and filled hole, had a width-to-diameter ratio of six. Materials 7075-T6 and Mar-m-246 were used as pins in the filled hole tensile testing. Analytical work was completed to predict material properties, elastic and plastic stress concentration factors, residual stresses, …

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Application Of The Program Profile For The Design Of Low-Speed, Low- Observable Configuration Airfoils, Gregory A. Sharp Dec 1992

Application Of The Program Profile For The Design Of Low-Speed, Low- Observable Configuration Airfoils, Gregory A. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated-the use of the program PROFILE for the design of low-speed, low-observable configuration airfoils. For our purposes, low- observable configuration is defined as being characterized by a small leading- edge radius of less than 1.18 percent chord and a thickness-to-chord ratio of 2. 5 to 5.5 percent. A methodology was developed whereby the input parameters to prescribe the velocity distribution over the airfoil could be determined by a power law relationship. This relationship enables the designer to develop symmetric airfoils with the desired thickness-to-chord and leading-edge radius within the stated constraints. The resulting symmetric airfoils compared very well …

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Helicopter Flight Control System Design Using The Linear Quadratic Regulator For Robust Eigenstructure Assignment, Dempsey D. Solomon Dec 1992

Helicopter Flight Control System Design Using The Linear Quadratic Regulator For Robust Eigenstructure Assignment, Dempsey D. Solomon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis applied modern, multi-variable control design techniques, via a FORTRAN computer algorithm, to U.S. Army helicopter models in hovering flight conditions. Eigenstructure assignment and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) theory are used to achieve enhanced closed loop performance and stability characteristics with full state feedback. The addition of cross coupling weights to the standard LQR performance index is specifically addressed. A desired eigenstructure is chosen with a goal of reduced pilot workload via performance qualities requirements. Cross coupling weighting is shown to provide greater flexibility in achieving a desired closed loop eigenstructure. While the addition of cross coupling weighting is …

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Computational And Experimental Investigation Into Fracture Of Brittle Fiber - Brittle Matrix Composite Systems, James P. Solti Dec 1992

Computational And Experimental Investigation Into Fracture Of Brittle Fiber - Brittle Matrix Composite Systems, James P. Solti

Theses and Dissertations

Experimental and computational analyses provided an improved understanding of quasi-static fracture in model composite systems. Constant displacement compression tests using borosilicate glass double cleavage drilled compression test templates provided qualitative assessments of localized toughening for crack growth near cylindrical inclusions. Large crack-tip stress fields induced interfacial slip and separation prior to arrival of the main crack. Debonding and the proliferation of secondary matrix cracks characterized the role of bridging fibers along weak interfaces. Strong residual normal compressive interfacial stresses diminished the influence of crack-tip stresses; however, slip was still observed. VHS tape and computer enhanced photos record a history of …

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An Experimental Investigation Of A Finite Circulation Control Wing, John M. Tallarovic Dec 1992

An Experimental Investigation Of A Finite Circulation Control Wing, John M. Tallarovic

Theses and Dissertations

This wind tunnel investigation examined the lift, drag, and pitching moment of a 20% thick, 8.5% camber, partial elliptical cross-section, single blowing slot, rectangular, circulation control wing. The aspect ratios tested were 3.71 and 3.99. Variables included three differently shaped trailing edge Coanda surfaces and steady blowing and pulsed blowing. The test Reynolds number, based on the chord was 500,000. The-angle of attack was varied from minus 6 degrees to the inception of stall. The maximum lift coefficient measured was 3. 17 with an equivalent drag coefficient of 1.85. Results also show a limit to increasing lift by increasing the …

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Behavior Of A Centrally Notched Cross-Ply And Unidirectional Ceramic Matrix Composite In Tension-Compression Fatigue, William A. Weidenaar Dec 1992

Behavior Of A Centrally Notched Cross-Ply And Unidirectional Ceramic Matrix Composite In Tension-Compression Fatigue, William A. Weidenaar

Theses and Dissertations

Centrally notched (hole), cross-ply, ((0/90)2)s, and unidirectional, (0)8 laminates of Silicon Carbide fiber-reinforced Aluminosilicate glass, SiC/1723, were fatigue tested under tension-compression loading with a load ratio of -1. Damage accumulated continuously for both lay- ups, leading to eventual failure and a reduced fatigue life. Critical damage in the cross-ply consisted of longitudinal cracks in the 90° plies growing and combining with transverse cracks to effectively eliminate the 90° plies' load carrying capability and allowing the specimen to buckle. Critical damage in the unidirectional lay-up consisted of longitudinal cracks which initiated at the shear stress concentration …

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Object-Oriented Analysis, Design, And Implementation Of The Saber Wargame, David S. Douglass Dec 1992

Object-Oriented Analysis, Design, And Implementation Of The Saber Wargame, David S. Douglass

Theses and Dissertations

Saber is a two-sided, air and land war game that simulates decisions made of commanders at the theater-level. It is being developed by the Air Force Institute of Technology for the Air Force Wargaming center at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Saber models conventional, chemical, and nuclear warfare between aggregated air and land forces. It also portrays the effects of logistics, satellites, weather, terrain, and intelligence which add to the realism of the Saber war game. The Saber war game has three main components, the preprocessor. which is responsible for scenario development and pregame activities, the simulation. the guts of the war …

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A Vhdl Interpreter For Model-Based Diagnoses, David R. Griffin Dec 1992

A Vhdl Interpreter For Model-Based Diagnoses, David R. Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

Model-based reasoning permits diagnostic applications to be written without waiting for someone to become an 'expert' of the system. For model-based diagnostics, there must be a model to reason from. This thesis explores using a VHDL description of the system as that model. A system based around a VHDL interpreter was written specifically for a model-based diagnostic algorithm. Currently, the diagnostic system uses an algorithm by Dries. This algorithm was derived from Scarl's Full Consistency Algorithm. The system was designed to be modular so that different diagnostic techniques could be implemented. It is divided into three parts: a VHDL parser, …

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Design And Development Of A High-Speed Winograd Fast Fourier Transform Processor Board, James F. Herron Dec 1992

Design And Development Of A High-Speed Winograd Fast Fourier Transform Processor Board, James F. Herron

Theses and Dissertations

Since 1985, the Air Force Institute of Technology has pursued a project to develop a 4080-point Discrete Fourier Transform processor using the Winograd Fourier Transform Algorithm (WFTA) and Good-Thomas Prime Factoring Algorithm (PFA). In the first attempt to build a working system, this research effort designed and constructed, in part, a modified single processor architecture in order to demonstrate the proof of concept of the WFTA system design. This prototype architecture is simpler in implementation but uses the same principles and procedures as those of the 4080-point WFTA design. The design developed in this thesis was validated using the Very …

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A User Interface To A True 3-D Display Device, Bruce A. Hobbs Dec 1992

A User Interface To A True 3-D Display Device, Bruce A. Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes an interactive interface to a true three dimensional, real-dm dynamic graphic display, the TI Omniview™. The system generates true 3-D images of volumetric data and objects. The TI Omniview is a cylindrical volumetric laser display that uses a rotating double-helix translucent disk to fill the display cylinder. Voxels are illuminated on the 2-D surface. The rotational speed of the disk allows the viewer to fuse the 2-D images into a true 3-D image. The interface provides the user with a quick and flexible means of manipulating the image generated, the sub-volume displayed, and the resulting 3-D image. …

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An Investigation Of Discovery-Based Learning In The Route Planning Domain, Freeman A. Kilpatrick Jr. Dec 1992

An Investigation Of Discovery-Based Learning In The Route Planning Domain, Freeman A. Kilpatrick Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents MAVERICK, a Discovery-Based learning (DBL) system designed to learn maneuvers in the route planning domain. DBL was originally designed to learn in domains for which little domain knowledge exists. This thesis proposes using it in domains for which knowledge exists, but the acquisition of this knowledge is difficult or time-consuming because of the knowledge acquisition bottleneck. The operation of the DBL process in MAVERICK was investigated to determine the potential utility of such a system to a real- world Air Force problem in the domain of aircraft route planning. MAVERICK worked well in its limited domain, and …

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Generalization And Parallelization Of Messy Genetic Algorithms And Communication In Parallel Genetic Algorithms, Laurence D. Merkle Dec 1992

Generalization And Parallelization Of Messy Genetic Algorithms And Communication In Parallel Genetic Algorithms, Laurence D. Merkle

Theses and Dissertations

Genetic algorithms (GA) are highly parallelizable, robust semi- optimization algorithms of polynomial complexity. The most commonly implemented GAs are 'simple' GAs (SGAs). Reproduction, crossover, and mutation operate on solution populations. Deceptive and GA-hard problems are provably difficult for simple GAs. Messy GAs (MGA) are designed to overcome these limitations. The MGA is generalized to solve permutation type optimization problems. Its performance is compared to another MGA's, an SGA's, and a permutation SGA's. Against a fully deceptive problem the generalized MGA (GMGA) consistently performs better than the simple GA. Against an NP-complete permutation problem, the GMGA performs better than the other …

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Examining A Layered Approach To Function And Design Representation For Reusable Software Components, Paul D. Siebels Dec 1992

Examining A Layered Approach To Function And Design Representation For Reusable Software Components, Paul D. Siebels

Theses and Dissertations

This effort examined ways to improve the effectiveness of reusable software libraries. The main area of investigation was in improving the user interface by finding better ways to present the software components to potential re-users. The first aspect which was considered was finding an effective representation for reusable software components. A set of criteria was developed for evaluating the effectiveness of software representations. The criteria consisted of generality, expressiveness, understandability, consistency, and resolution. The second aspect which was considered was how to present the software component information to the user to facilitate finding the appropriate component for reuse. A representation …

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An Intelligent Real-Time System Architecture Implemented In Ada, Michael A. Whelan Dec 1992

An Intelligent Real-Time System Architecture Implemented In Ada, Michael A. Whelan

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional real-time systems are fully deterministic allowing for off-line, optimal, task scheduling under all circumstances. Real-time intelligent systems add non-deterministic task execution times and non- deterministic task sets for scheduling purposes. Non-deterministic task sets force intelligent real-time systems to trade-off execution time with solution quality during run-time and perform dynamic task scheduling. Four basic design considerations addressing those tradeoffs have been identified: control reasoning, focus of attention, parallelism, and algorithm efficacy. Non-real- time intelligent systems contain an environment sensor, a model of the environment, a reasoning process, and a large collection of procedural processes. Real-time intelligent systems add to these …

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Creating And Manipulating Formalized Software Architectures To Support A Domain-Oriented Application Composition System, Cynthia G. Anderson Dec 1992

Creating And Manipulating Formalized Software Architectures To Support A Domain-Oriented Application Composition System, Cynthia G. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated technology which enables sophisticated users to specify, generate, and maintain application software in domain-oriented terms. To realize this new technology, a development environment, called Architect, was designed and implemented. Using canonical formal specifications of domain objects, Architect rapidly composes these specifications into a software application and executes a prototype of that application as a means to demonstrate its correctness before any programming language specific code is generated. Architect depends upon the existence of a formal object base (or domain model) which was investigated by another student in related research. The research described in this thesis relied on …

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A Model For Determining Task Set Schedulability In The Presence Of System Effects, Rusty O. Baldwin Dec 1992

A Model For Determining Task Set Schedulability In The Presence Of System Effects, Rusty O. Baldwin

Theses and Dissertations

This research developed a parameterized model that accounts for system overhead and determines when an Ada runtime environment can no longer successfully execute a given Ada task set and still meet all deadlines. The Ada Compiler Evaluation Capability benchmark was used to characterize an actual runtime environment. Using that data, a generic model of a preemptive, rate monotonic priority based runtime system was developed which accounts for overhead due to clock updates, context switching, task suspension, and synchronization. Validation was based on the Hartstone benchmark. First, the benchmark was executed using, the actual runtime environment. Then, those results were compared …

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Spatial Partitioning Of A Battlefield Parallel Discrete-Event Simulation, Kenneth C. Bergman Dec 1992

Spatial Partitioning Of A Battlefield Parallel Discrete-Event Simulation, Kenneth C. Bergman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a method for spatially partitioning a battlefield into units known as sectors to achieve speedup two ways: through the reduction of each battlefield object's next event search space, and lowering the amount of message-passing required. Each sector is responsible for tracking and controlling access to all objects within its boundaries. A distributed proximity detection algorithm employing boundary-crossing events is used to control player movement between sectors. Each object's state information is replicated in all sectors it has sensor capability for the minimum time required; -this ensures that each object's next event is properly determined based upon interactions …

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Parallel Simulation Of Structural Vhdl Circuits On Intel Hypercubes, Thomas A. Breeden Dec 1992

Parallel Simulation Of Structural Vhdl Circuits On Intel Hypercubes, Thomas A. Breeden

Theses and Dissertations

Many VLSI circuit designs are too large to be simulated with VHDL in a reasonable amount of time. One approach to reducing the simulation time is to distribute the simulation over several processors. This research creates an environment for designing and simulating structural VHDL circuits on the Intel iPSC/2 and iPSC/860 Hypercubes. Logic gates and system behaviors are partitioned among the processors, and signed changes are shared via event messages. Circuit simulations are run over the SPECTRUM parallel simulation testbed, and the null- message paradigm is used to avoid deadlock. Structural circuits ranging from forty to over one thousand logic …

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Formalization And Transformation Of Informal Analysis Models Into Executive Refine™ Specifications, Mary M. Boom, Bradley D. Mallare Dec 1992

Formalization And Transformation Of Informal Analysis Models Into Executive Refine™ Specifications, Mary M. Boom, Bradley D. Mallare

Theses and Dissertations

This research developed and implemented an automated technique for translating informal specifications into formal, executable specifications. A unified Abstract Model (UAM) was developed to combine the information contained in Entity Relationship, State Transition, and Data Flow Models into a concise, object-based representation. The UAM forms the basis for defining a formal language, the Object Modeling Language (OML), used to capture the information contained in the UAM. By using OML, we were able to develop an automated translation process to convert informal specifications into executable, formal specifications. The Software Refinery Development Environment enabled us to easily develop a parser that translates …

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Version And Transaction Management In Osmagic: An Object-Oriented Database Implementation Of The Magic Vlsi Layout Design Tool, Gary M. Lightner Dec 1992

Version And Transaction Management In Osmagic: An Object-Oriented Database Implementation Of The Magic Vlsi Layout Design Tool, Gary M. Lightner

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis was to study the feasibility of using an object-oriented database management system to provide the functionality and performance needed to support a complex computer-aided design tool. We do this by modifying OSMagic, a prototype system of the Magic very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit design tool implemented on the ObjectStore object- oriented database management system. OSMagic was changed to support three different interfaces to ObjectStore and to work in a networking environment. We then designed and examined the use of version and transaction management models as a means of addressing the weaknesses of the prototype …

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A Unified Model Of Program Behavior, Douglas T. Michel Dec 1992

A Unified Model Of Program Behavior, Douglas T. Michel

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an attempt to account for and unify the three types of locality: temporal, spatial, and structural. A diverse sample of traces are used in measuring program behavior with respect to these localities and a model is presented which represents the memory references a program generates as it goes through execution. The model is validated by estimating, the entropy of a synthetically generated trace and comparing it with actual traces. The results indicate that there is more predictability contained in the original trace than what the model was able to capture. Different variations of the model were tried …

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An Enhanced User Interface For The Saber Wargame, Donald R. Moore Dec 1992

An Enhanced User Interface For The Saber Wargame, Donald R. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is part of an on-going effort by the Air Force Institute of Technology to develop a computer-based, theater-level wargame for the Air Force Wargaming Center at Maxwell AFB, AL. The wargame, Saber, is intended to augment the education the students receive at the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff College in the employment of air and ground power. This thesis documents the integrated design and implementation of the two components of the Saber user interface: the pre-processor and the post-processor. Although previous thesis students designed and implemented substantial portions of the user interface, a fully …

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Creating And Manipulating A Domain-Specific Formal Object Base To Support A Domain-Oriented Application Composition System, Mary Anne Randour Dec 1992

Creating And Manipulating A Domain-Specific Formal Object Base To Support A Domain-Oriented Application Composition System, Mary Anne Randour

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated technology which enables sophisticated users to specify, generate, and maintain application software in domain-oriented terms. To realize this new technology, a development environment, called Architect, was designed and implemented. Using canonical formal specifications of domain objects, Architect rapidly composes these specifications into a software application and executes a prototype of that application as a means to demonstrate is correctness before any programming language specific code is generated. This thesis investigated populating and manipulating the formal object base required by Architect. This object base is built using a domain- specific language (DSL) which serves as an interface between …

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Management Of Simnet And Dis Entities In Synthetic Environments, Steven M. Sheasby Dec 1992

Management Of Simnet And Dis Entities In Synthetic Environments, Steven M. Sheasby

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the techniques used to create an object manager utilized by an application program during a distributed interactive simulation. This work is currently utilized by a number of AFIT synthetic environment applications for use during a SIMNET exercise. An extensive review of distributed interactive simulations is presented. A discussion of the current distributed simulation protocol, SIMNET, is presented along with the future protocol standard, DIS. Finally, a brief discussion on dead reckoning and its importance during an exercise is presented. An analysis of the SIMNET and DIS protocols provided the basis for the creation of a series of …

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A Synthetic Environment Flight Simulator: The Afit Virtual Cockpit, John C. Switzer Dec 1992

A Synthetic Environment Flight Simulator: The Afit Virtual Cockpit, John C. Switzer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the design and implementation of a part of the Virtual Cockpit: a synthetic environment, distributed network flight simulator. The goal of the project was to prove the concept that this type of flight simulator could fill the gap between high-end, very expensive flight simulators and low-end game quality flight simulators. Discussed are: object-oriented design techniques, multi-processor utilization, the flight dynamics model, synthetic environment technology, the frame-rate vs. realism issue, and the interfaces to a realistic joystick and throttle.

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Methods For Viewing Radar Cross Section Data In Three Dimensions, David J. Tisdale Dec 1992

Methods For Viewing Radar Cross Section Data In Three Dimensions, David J. Tisdale

Theses and Dissertations

Radar Cross Section data is an important factor in the design of modern fighter and bomber aircraft. Minimization of the reflected radar energy is one of the key issues when choosing shapes and materials in new aircraft. Visualization of the energy scattered back to a radar is neither intuitive nor easy. The mission planner and pilot need to gain an understanding of the vulnerabilities inherent in the design of the systems they use. The advent of relatively low cost graphics workstations has made their use affordable in applications inconceivable only a few short years ago. This thesis examines three graphics …

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Development Of A Protocol Usage Guideline For Conservative Parallel Simulations, Prescott J. Van Horn Dec 1992

Development Of A Protocol Usage Guideline For Conservative Parallel Simulations, Prescott J. Van Horn

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of distributed simulation is to speedup simulation execution by partitioning the simulation processing load over multiple processors, This thesis reviews current synchronization protocol methods for distributed simulations, and proposes guidelines for obtaining optimal conservative simulation partitionings using empirical evidence. An analysis is performed using three protocol variations of the Chandy-Misra HULL message algorithm, two using a pending message blocking strategy, and the other using a safetime blocking strategy. A fourth protocol evaluated is based on the SRADS algorithm proposed by Reynolds. The analysis involves a study of all possible 2 and 4 node configurations, for three queuing simulations, …

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Scientific Visualization Of Volumetric Radar Cross Section Data, Thomas G. Wojszynski Dec 1992

Scientific Visualization Of Volumetric Radar Cross Section Data, Thomas G. Wojszynski

Theses and Dissertations

For aircraft design and mission planning, designers, threat analysts, mission planners, and pilots require a Radar Cross Section (RCS) central tendency with its associated distribution about a specified aspect and its relation to a known threat, Historically, RCS data sets have been statically analyzed to evaluate a d profile. However, Scientific Visualization, the application of computer graphics techniques to produce pictures of complex physical phenomena. appears to be a more promising tool to interpret this data. This work describes data reduction techniques and a surface rendering algorithm to construct and display a complex polyhedron from adjacent contours of RCS data. …

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Design Recovery For Software Library Population, Chester A. Wright Jr. Dec 1992

Design Recovery For Software Library Population, Chester A. Wright Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis research investigated design recovery as a means of populating a reuse library. The targeted library was part of the Automatic Programming Technologies for Avionics Systems (APTAS). APTAS uses a knowledge base of forms, to present questions to a user, and rules, to select the forms to present and choose existing library modules to use in composing a new system. The approach applied the reengineering model developed by Eric Byrne to accomplish planning for the project, expanded the renovation phase of this model to cover the actual design recovery, and applied the expanded model to populating the library. Using …

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Formalizing, Validating, And Verifying Real-Time System Requirements With Reacto And Vhdl, Frank C. Young Dec 1992

Formalizing, Validating, And Verifying Real-Time System Requirements With Reacto And Vhdl, Frank C. Young

Theses and Dissertations

We develop a methodology for formalizing, verifying, and validating the requirements specification of real-time systems based on a graphical and formal hierarchical Finite State Machine (FSM) language Reacto. We define a means to quantify time and express real-time constraints in Reacto and a transformation from Reacto to the Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) hardware Description Language (VHDL). Reacto's high level abstractions, graphical nature, and theorem prover produce efficient, accurate, and easily understood specifications. We use VHDL's event driven simulation capability, concurrency, and temporal operators to thoroughly examine temporal dependencies between the state machine transitions, and to increase simulation power …

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