Validating the Design of CPS: Interfacing Simulations of Multi-Physics Components and Software with Contract-Based Monitoring

Ensuring fault tolerance in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) is challenging due to their complexity and stringent safety requirements. Modern fault-tolerant approaches guarantee fault detection, isolation, and mitigation, but lack systematic approaches to prove their effectiveness and correctness. This paper presents a simulation framework integrating fault injection and contract-based monitoring to validate fault tolerance under diverse conditions. Unlike nominal behavior-based methods, it refines contract specifications through fault-driven scenarios, defining acceptable fault severity and enhancing trust in detection mechanisms. This approach enables early fault detection and precise assessment of critical components by supporting continuous monitoring and allowing prompt corrective actions, improving fault management in dynamic environments. A proof-of-concept implementation demonstrates the framework's effectiveness in assessing fault impacts both in multi-physics components and their controller modules, highlighting its potential to enhance the reliability and resilience of complex CPSs.