Simulation and explanation of the seismic behaviour of buildings through qualitative/quantitative models

An approach to the modelling of systems in civil engineering is presented. It allows the integration of quantitative relations in a qualitative causal framework based on a object-oriented net representation of the device and process ontologies. It supports the modelling and simulation of the behaviour of a physical system and causal explanations of it. Such explanations are customizable depending on the needs of different users. An example of the application of such approach is also presented in a decision support system for seismic assessment of buildings and planning of precautionary operations on them. The approach is shown by modelling the seismic behaviour of a masonry building, simulating it and generating causal explanations tailored for the needs of different users.