A DEVS component library for simulation-based design of automated container terminals

Modeling and simulation in design processes is traditionally used during the analysis of the future system. However, simulation-based design allows the use of modeling and sim- ulation throughout the synthesis phase which offers greater exibility to quickly compare alternative designs. In case of container terminals, these alternatives are based on dif- ferent aspects such as layouts, terminal operating systems, and equipments. Container terminals are characterized by a large number of entity types with multiple instances, in- teracting in various non-trivial ways. A component-based approach makes the construction of a suitable model easier: the designer can focus on the relevant constructs instead of lower level details. However, much effort is needed to achieve compatibility and modularity between the compo- nents. DEVS provides the higher level constructs to concep- tualize a complex system independently from the underlying implementation. We present a DEVS component library for container terminal design wherein much attention has been put into the conceptual distinction between control and me- chanics. This results in a library that can actively support the design process of containers terminals.