Simulating vehicular traffic in a network using dynamic routing

We present a new numerical code which solves the Lighthill – Whitham model, the classic macroscopic model for vehicular traffic flow, in a network with multi-destinations. We use a high-resolution shock-capturing scheme with approximate Riemann solver to solve the partial differential equations of the Lighthill – Whitham theory. These schemes are very efficient, robust and moreover well adapted to simulations of traffic flows. We develop a theory of dynamic routing including a procedure for traffic flow assignment at junctions which reproduces the correct propagation of irregularities and ensures at the same time conservation of the number of vehicles.     

A hybrid macroscopic-based model for traffic flow in road networks

Recently, the unquestionable growth of interest to increase the operational efficiency and capability of transportation systems led to the development of a large number of traffic modeling theories. One of the major operational issues when developing a transportation system management model lies in the selection of the appropriate methodological approach with respect to several decisions, such as the selection of the type of input and output data as well as the qualitative representation and the computational power of the model. Despite the considerable effort in the area, there is still not an approach which per se models effectively the various dynamically evolving features of traffic in road networks. The present paper addresses this issue by introducing a new hybrid approach which combines the complementary features and capabilities of both continuum mathematical models e.g. 1, 6, 23 and 26 and knowledge-based models e.g. 7, 22 and 28 in order to describe effectively traffic flow in road networks.     

Empirical validation of a queueing approach to uninterrupted traffic flows

In this paper, the use of queueing theory for modeling uninterrupted traffic flows is evaluated. Empirical data on speeds and flows are used to evaluate speeds generated by the different queueing models. Using the Theil inequality coefficient as evaluation criterion, the speeds generated by the queueing models are compared to the empirical speeds. Queueing models that best fit the observed speeds are obtained. It appears that traffic flow on a highway during non-congested hours is best described using a M/G/1 queueing model. During the congested hours however, the state dependent queueing GI/G/z models are more realistic. Because the queueing models describe the empirical data well, they can also be used to evaluate potential improvements in existing traffic conditions. Received: April 2005 / Revised version: June 2005 AMS classification: 60K30, 68M20     

Analytical studies on the instabilities of heterogeneous intelligent traffic flow

It has been widely reported in literature that a small perturbation in traffic flow such as a sudden deceleration of a vehicle could lead to the formation of traffic jams without a clear bottleneck. These traffic jams are usually related to instabilities in traffic flow. The applications of intelligent traffic systems are a potential solution to reduce the amplitude or to eliminate the formation of such traffic instabilities. A lot of research has been conducted to theoretically study the effect of intelligent vehicles, for example adaptive cruise control vehicles, using either computer simulation or analytical method. However, most current analytical research has only applied to single class traffic flow. To this end, the main topic of this paper is to perform a linear stability analysis to find the stability threshold of heterogeneous traffic flow using microscopic models, particularly the effect of intelligent vehicles on heterogeneous (or multi-class) traffic flow instabilities. The analytical results will show how intelligent vehicle percentages affect the stability of multi-class traffic flow.     

An explicitly solvable kinetic model for vehicular traffic and associated macroscopic equations

In the present paper, a kinetic model for vehicular traffic is presented and investigated in detail. For this model, the stationary distributions can be determined explicitly. A derivation of associated macroscopic traffic flow equations from the kinetic equation is given. The coefficients appearing in these equations are identified from the solutions of the underlying stationary kinetic equation and are given explicitly. Moreover, numerical experiments and comparisons between different macroscopic models are presented.     

A new car-following model with consideration of the prevision driving behavior

In the paper, a new car-following model is presented with the consideration of the prevision driving behavior on a single-lane road. The model’s linear stability condition is obtained by applying the linear stability theory. And through nonlinear analysis, a modified Korteweg–de Vries (mKdV) equation is derived to describe the propagating behavior of traffic density wave near the critical point. Numerical simulation shows that the new model can improve the stability of traffic flow by adjusting the driver’s prevision intensity parameter, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis.     

Optimal Control for Traffic Flow Networks

We consider traffic flow models for road networks where the flow is controlled at the nodes of the network. For the analytical and numerical optimization of the control, the knowledge of the gradient of the objective functional is useful. The adjoint calculus introduced below determines the gradient in two ways. We derive the adjoint equations for the continuous traffic flow network model and derive also the adjoint equations for a discretized model. Numerical examples for the solution of problems of optimal control for traffic flow networks are presented.This author was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Grant KL 1105/5.     

各向异性交通流动力学模型的波动特性

对姜锐等人最近提出的一种新的交通流动力学模型的波动特性进行了分析.该模型中,不存在大于宏观车流速度的特征速度,从而满足交通流各向异性的要求.线性稳定性分析发现,新模型在一定条件下保持稳定,文中给出了稳定条件判定标准.分析指出,这一模型的波由一阶波和二阶波两种层次构成,既允许交通光滑波的存在,也充许交通激波的存在,但是其激波条件与其它相关模型有明显区别.正是这种区别,使得新模型在处理某些交通问题(如车辆倒退现象)上更加符合实际车流情况.     

A comparative analysis of approaches for investigating hypersonic flow over blunt bodies in a transitional regime

Hypersonic flows of a viscous perfect rarefied gas over blunt bodies in a transitional flow regime from continuum to free molecular, characteristic when spacecraft re-enter Earth's atmosphere at altitudes above 90-100 km, are considered. The two-dimensional problem of hypersonic flow is investigated over a wide range of free stream Knudsen numbers using both continuum and kinetic approaches: by numerical and analytical solutions of the continuum equations, by numerical solution of the Boltzmann kinetic equation with a model collision integral in the form of the S-model, and also by the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. The continuum approach is based on the use of asymptotically correct models of a thin viscous shock layer and a viscous shock layer. A refinement of the condition for a temperature jump on the body surface is proposed for the viscous shock layer model. The continuum and kinetic solutions, and also the solutions obtained by the Monte Carlo method are compared. The effectiveness, range of application, advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches are estimated.     

Multicomponent flow modeling

We present multicomponent flow models derived from the kinetic theory of gases and investigate the symmetric hyperbolic-parabolic structure of the resulting system of partial differential equations.We address the Cauchy problem for smooth solutions as well as the existence of deflagration waves,also termed anchored waves.We further discuss related models which have a similar hyperbolic-parabolic structure,notably the SaintVenant system with a temperature equation as well as the equations governing chemical equilibrium flows.We next investigate multicomponent ionized and magnetized flow models with anisotropic transport fluxes which have a different mathematical structure.We finally discuss numerical algorithms specifically devoted to complex chemistry flows,in particular the evaluation of multicomponent transport properties,as well as the impact of multicomponent transport.     

Integrated modelling and numerical treatment of freeway flow

The effectiveness of macroscopic dynamic freeway flow models at both uninterrupted and interrupted flow conditions is tested. Model implementation is made by finite difference methods developed here for solving the system's governing equations. These schemes are more effective than existing numerical methods, particularly when generation terms are introduced. The modelling alternatives and numerical solution algorithms are compared by employing a data base generated through microscopic simulation. Despite the effectiveness of the proposed numerical treatments, substantial deviations from the data at interrupted flows are still noticeable. In order to improve performance when flow is interrupted, we develop a modelling methodology that takes into account the ramp-freeway interactions so that all freeway components are treated as a system. We show that the coupling effects of the merging traffic streams are significant. Finally, the incremental benefits of using the more sophisticated high-order continuum models are assessed.     

On the derivation of the velocity and fundamental traffic flow diagram from the modelling of the vehicle–driver behaviors

This paper deals with derivation of the fundamental diagram by modelling the individual driver behavior that adjusts the velocity to the density of vehicles in order to respect the braking distance. A parameter is properly introduced to model the quality of the driver–vehicle subsystem referred to the environmental conditions. Subsequently, it is shown how to use this result in order to model traffic flows by the macroscopic representation and by the kinetic theory.     

Analysis of a modified two-lane lattice model by considering the density difference effect

In this paper, a modified lattice hydrodynamic model of traffic flow is proposed by considering the density difference between leading and following lattice for two-lane system. The effect of density difference on the stability of traffic flow is examined through linear stability analysis and shown that the density difference term can significantly enlarge the stability region on the phase diagram. To describe the phase transition of traffic flow, the Burgers equation and mKdV equation near the critical point are derived through nonlinear analysis. To verify the theoretical findings, numerical simulation is conducted which confirms that traffic jam can be suppressed efficiently by considering the density difference effect in the modified lattice model for two-lane traffic.     

更新过程理论在交通流上的一个应用

一个更新过程的两个随机变量的分布:间隔分布、计数分布是1—1对应的,但由间隔分布求对应的计数分布的问题尚未很好地解决。在道路断面观测交通流可得到一更新过程,车头时距和车辆到达分别是其间隔和计数。时距分布容易观测得到,而到达分布的观测却较难。因此上述数学问题的解决对交通流理论是非常有意义的,本文将研究之。     

Hybrid evolutionary algorithms in a SVR traffic flow forecasting model

Accurate urban traffic flow forecasting is critical to intelligent transportation system developments and implementations, thus, it has been one of the most important issues in the research on road traffic congestion. Due to complex nonlinear data pattern of the urban traffic flow, there are many kinds of traffic flow forecasting techniques in literature, thus, it is difficult to make a general conclusion which forecasting technique is superior to others. Recently, the support vector regression model (SVR) has been widely used to solve nonlinear regression and time series problems. This investigation presents a SVR traffic flow forecasting model which employs the hybrid genetic algorithm-simulated annealing algorithm (GA-SA) to determine its suitable parameter combination. Additionally, a numerical example of traffic flow data from northern Taiwan is used to elucidate the forecasting performance of the proposed SVRGA-SA model. The forecasting results indicate that the proposed model yields more accurate forecasting results than the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA), back-propagation neural network (BPNN), Holt-Winters (HW) and seasonal Holt-Winters (SHW) models. Therefore, the SVRGA-SA model is a promising alternative for forecasting traffic flow.     

Modeling the asymmetry in traffic flow (b): Macroscopic approach

In [H. Xu, H. Liu, H. Gong, Modeling the asymmetry in traffic flow (a): microscopic approach, J. Appl. Math. Model. (submitted for publication)], the asymmetric characteristic of traffic flow has been studied from a microscopic approach through the modeling of car-following behavior. This paper further discusses the asymmetric traffic flow modeling at the macroscopic scale. The microscopic asymmetric full velocity difference model is extended to a continuum traffic flow model to study the anisotropic characteristic and diffusive influence under various traffic conditions. In order to accurately solve the mathematical problem, a weighted essentially no-oscillatory (WENO) approach is applied. The performance of the model is then demonstrated through thorough evaluation against select classic models and field data. The macroscopic model is the first of its kind that is directly developed from an asymmetric car-following approach. The results show that the model is able to present many complex traffic phenomena observed in the field such as shock waves, rarefaction waves, stop-and-go waves and local cluster effects at a better level of accuracy than most of the existing models.     

Eulerian and Lagrangian predictions of particulate two-phase flows: a numerical study

To predict particulate two-phase flows, two approaches are possible. One treats the fluid phase as a continuum and the particulate second phase as single particles. This approach, which predicts the particle trajectories in the fluid phase as a result of forces acting on particles, is called the Lagrangian approach. Treating the solid as some kind of continuum, and solving the appropriate continuum equations for the fluid and particle phases, is referred to as the Eulerian approach.Both approaches are discussed and their basic equations for the particle and fluid phases as well as their numerical treatment are presented. Particular attention is given to the interactions between both phases and their mathematical formulations. The resulting computer codes are discussed.The following cases are presented in detail: vertical pipe flow with various particle concentrations; and sudden expansion in a vertical pipe flow. The results show good agreement between both types of approach.The Lagrangian approach has some advantages for predicting those particulate flows in which large particle accelerations occur. It can also handle particulate two-phase flows consisting of polydispersed particle size distributions. The Eulerian approach seems to have advantages in all flow cases where high particle concentrations occur and where the high void fraction of the flow becomes a dominating flow controlling parameter.     

Modelling complex systems in applied sciences; methods and tools of the mathematical kinetic theory for active particles

This paper deals with the modelling of large systems of interacting individuals characterized by a microscopic state which includes both mechanical and socio-biological activities. The first part of the paper is devoted to the derivation and critical analysis of the modelling of microscopic equations and subsequently of the derivation of evolution equations. The second part analyzes how these mathematical structures can be properly used to model a variety of models in different fields of applied sciences: traffic flow, population dynamics, biology. Some research perspectives are analyzed in the last part of the paper.