Aralia WorkShop : Introduction

Aralia WorkShop is a graphical environment to design and to evaluate Boolean risk assessment models.
Aralia WorkShop will embed in the short term modules to handle Fault Trees, Event Trees and Reliability Blocks Diagrams.

In the currently distributed version, Aralia WorkShop embeds only the Fault Tree module. The other modules are available only for research and evaluation purposes.

Aralia WorkShop is issued from research works from the Aralia group (CEA, Dassault, EdF, ELF Aquitaine, LaBRI, Renault, Schneider, SGN, Technicatome). The synergy between academic and industrial partners made it possible to make Aralia WorkShop a complete tool, well suited to the needs of practitioners. Aralia WorkShop is today one of world leader tool for Fault Tree assessment.

Aralia WorkShop : Features

Most of the features are common to all of the modules.

• Models are drawn on the worksheet. Aralia WorkShop manages worksheets in directories and subdirectories (in the same way explorer does).
• A basic event manager makes it possible to define basic events, distribution parameters and attributes.
• Aralia WorkShop embeds various Common Cause Failure models (Beta factor, multiple greek letters, Alpha).
• A calculation manager makes it possible to define analysis cases. Such a case contains all data required by a calculation (top event, mission time, algorithms, ...).
• Aralia WorkShop proposes powerful search/replace functions.
• Aralia WorkShop embeds powerful coherency verification mechanisms.
• The command Purge makes it possible to remove useless items from a model.
• ...

Aralia WorkShop embeds the Aralia calculation engine. It proposes various typical assessment sequences. Results are displayed into ad-hoc windows. A console mode to dialog with the calculation engine via its command line interface is also available.

Aralia WorkShop is well integrated with Windows. Data and results can be imported from and exported to spreadsheets. Cute and Paste functions are also available to communicate with other tools.

Aralia WorkShop provides the user with a contextual in-line help as well as with an in-line tutorial.

SimTree : the Fault Tree Module

SimTree is the Fault Tree Module of Aralia WorkShop. Usual gates (AND, OR, K-out-of-N) are available as well as the whole menagery of connectives allowed by Aralia.

The notion of identical transfer makes it possible to factorize identical part of fault trees, therefore simplifying its drawing. The notion of analog transfer allows a fast modelling of systems with redundancies.

Many informations can be incorporated to the worksheet, such as the result of the last calculation for a gate, the list of transfers associated with a gate, ... This feature facilitates the maintenance of models.

SimTree works with Boolean formulae written at the Aralia format. This makes it possible to import and to export models designed with other tools that accept textual model descriptions.

SimEvent : the Event Tree Module

This module is currently available only for research and evaluation purposes.

SimEvent is the Event Tree Module of Aralia WorkShop. It consists of a graphical interface for the drawing of event trees and a calculation engine to assess event trees (Hevea). Event trees are written into a textual format which is compiled by Hevea into Boolean formulae at the Aralia format. Hevea embeds dedicated heuristics to make Aralia even more efficient.

SimBFiab: the Block Diagram Module

This module is currently available only for research and evaluation purposes.

SimBFiab is the Block Diagram Module of Aralia WorkShop. Hierarchical blocks and K-out-of-N connectives are available. Basic blocks can be associated with probability distributions in the same way Basic Events of Fault Trees are. Graphical features make it possible to arrange blocks on the worksheet.

SimBFiab translates Block Diagrams into Boolean format at the Aralia format.

Aralia WorkShop : Requirements

Compatibility - Minimal configuration

• Windows 95,98 et Millenium : 64 Mo / 128 Mo
• Windows NT, 2000, : 128 Mo / 256 Mo
• Windows XP : 256 Mo / 512 Mo

Aralia WorkShop is protected by a key (dongle or software). A demonstration mode is freely available.

Warning: Aralia WorkShop is no longer distributed by GFI Consulting.

Note: Aralia WorkShop is distributed by Dassault Data Services (Sales contact : Tony Hutinet)