Combination Techniques and Decision Problems for Disunification

Previous work on combination techniques considered the question of how to combine unification algorithms for disjoint equational theories E 1 ; : : : ; E n in order to obtain a unification algorithm for the union E 1 [ : : : [ E n of the theories. Here we want to show that variants of this method may be used to decide solvability and ground solvability of disunification problems in E 1 [ : : : [E n . Our first result says that solvability of disunification problems in the free algebra of the combined theory E 1 [ : : : [E n is decidable if solvability of disunification problems with linear constant restrictions in the free algebras of the theories E i (i = 1; : : : ; n) is decidable. In order to decide ground solvability (i.e., solvability in the initial algebra) of disunification problems in E 1 [ : : : [ E n we have to consider a new kind of subproblem for the particular theories E i , namely solvability (in the free algebra) of disunification problems with linear constant restricti..