Estimating contact forces and pressure in a dense crowd: Microscopic and macroscopic models

This paper deals with the estimation of pressure at collisions times during the movement of a dense crowd. Through the non-smooth contact dynamics approach for rigid and deformable solids, proposed by Frémond and his collaborators, the value of pressure and contact forces at collisions points, generated through congestion or panic situation are estimated. Firstly, we propose a second-order microscopic model, in which the crowd is treated as a system of rigid solids. Contact forces are rigorously defined by taking into account multiple simultaneous contacts and the non-overlapping condition between pedestrians. We show that for a dense crowd, percussions can be seen as contact forces. Secondly, in order to overcome the restrictive hypothesis related to the geometric form adapted to model the pedestrian, a continuous equivalent approach is proposed where the crowd is modeled as a deformable solid, the pressure is then defined by the divergence of the stress tensor and calculated according to volume and surface constraints. This approach makes it possible to retain an admissible right-velocity, including both the non-local interactions between non-neighbor pedestrians and the choice of displacement strategy of each pedestrian. Finally, the comparison between the two proposed approaches and some other existing approaches are presented on several illustrative examples to estimate the contact forces between pedestrians.     

Macroscopic modeling and simulations of room evacuation

We analyze numerically two macroscopic models of crowd dynamics: the classical Hughes model and the second order model being an extension to pedestrian motion of the Payne–Whitham vehicular traffic model. The desired direction of motion is determined by solving an eikonal equation with density dependent running cost, which results in minimization of the travel time and avoidance of congested areas. We apply a mixed finite volume-finite element method to solve the problems and present error analysis for the eikonal solver, gradient computation and the second order model yielding a first order convergence. We show that Hughes’ model is incapable of reproducing complex crowd dynamics such as stop-and-go waves and clogging at bottlenecks. Finally, using the second order model, we study numerically the evacuation of pedestrians from a room through a narrow exit.     

Numerical simulation of a continuum model for bi-directional pedestrian flow

An algorithm for an extended reactive dynamic user equilibrium model of pedestrian counterflow as a continuum is developed. It is based on a cell-centered high-resolution finite volume scheme with a fast sweeping method for an Eikonal-type equation on an orthogonal grid. A high-order total variation diminishing Runge-Kutta method is adopted for the time integration of semi-discrete equations. The numerical results demonstrate the rationality of the model and efficiency of the algorithm. Some crowd pedestrian flow phenomena, such as dynamic lane formation in bi-directional flow, are observed which are helpful for a global comprehension of pedestrian dynamics. Also, the model can be utilized with different potential applications.     

交通流流体力学模型与非线性波

介绍了交通流问题中的流体力学描述方法,分析了交通流在受压力和自驱动力等因素作用下所产生的非线性波动现象．这些描述包括LWR运动学模型,考虑动力学效应的高阶模型,考虑超车效应的多车种LWR(Lighthill-Whitham-Richards)模型,以及考虑流通量间断的模型方程．此外,还介绍了LWR网络推广模型在交叉口的Riemann问题求解;提出了描述二维行人流问题的Navier-Stokes-Eikon方程模型并描述了确定行人流运动期盼方向的基本思想．     

Modelling subgroup behaviour in crowd dynamics DEM simulation

This paper investigates the behaviour of subgroups in crowd dynamics by means of filming and observation. An existing crowd modelling program, CrowdDMX, based on a discrete element model (DEM) has been modified on the basis of observations made in this paper and literature. Each person is represented as three overlapping circles and motion is modelled in a Newtonian manner. It incorporates psychological forces as well as physical forces in a 2D time-stepping environment. The DEM model was modified to include realistic subgroup behaviour, representing people in the crowd desiring to stay together (families, friends, etc.). Subgroup psychological forces were incorporated. The previous model only simulated individuals moving independently, which was unrealistic in some situations as shown by the observation and filming part of the study. The revised program models subgroups realistically including the tendency to avoid subgroup division in cases of contra-flow.     

A comparison of solvers for linear complementarity problems arising from large-scale masonry structures

We compare the numerical performance of several methods for solving the discrete contact problem arising from the finite element discretisation of elastic systems with numerous contact points. The problem is formulated as a variational inequality and discretised using piecewise quadratic finite elements on a triangulation of the domain. At the discrete level, the variational inequality is reformulated as a classical linear complementarity system. We compare several state-of-art algorithms that have been advocated for such problems. Computational tests illustrate the use of these methods for a large collection of elastic bodies, such as a simplified bidimensional wall made of bricks or stone blocks, deformed under volume and surface forces. This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council of Great Britain under grant GR/S35101, and the first author was supported by a fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.     

Study on numerical simulation methods of the railway vehicle-track dynamic interaction

A very efficient numerical simulation method of the railway vehicle–track dynamic interaction is described. When a vehicle runs at high speed on the railway track, contact forces between a wheel and a rail vary dynamically due to the profile irregularities existing on the surface of the rail. A large variation of contact forces causes undesired deteriorations of a track and its substructures. Therefore these dynamic contact forces are of main concern of the railway engineers. However it is very difficult to measure such dynamic contact forces directly. So it is important to develop an appropriate numerical simulation model and identify structural factors having a large influence on the variation of contact forces. When a contact force is expressed by the linearized Hertzian contact spring model, the equation of motions of the system is expressed as a second–order linear time–variant differential equation which has a time–dependent stiffness coefficient. Applying a well–known Newmark direct integration method, a numerical simulation is reduced to solving iteratively a time–variant, large–scale sparse, symmetric positive–definite linear system. In this study, by defining a special vector named a contact point one, it is shown that this time–variant stiffness coefficient can be expressed simply as a product of the contact point vector and its transpose and so the Sherman–Morrison–Woodbury formula applied for updating the inverse of the coefficient matrix. As a result, the execution of numerical simulation can be carried out very efficiently. A comparison of the computational time is given. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Coupled wetting meniscus model for the mechanism of spontaneous capillary action

Capillarity plays a significant role in many natural and artificial processes, but the mechanism responsible for its dynamics is not completely understood. In this study, we consider capillary flow characteristics and propose a coupled wetting meniscus model for the mechanism of spontaneous capillary action. In this model, capillary action is considered as the dynamic coupling of two interfacial forces, i.e., the wall wetting force at the contact line and the meniscus restoring force on the free interface. The wetting force promotes the motion of the contact line directed toward an equilibrium contact angle, whereas the meniscus restoring force promotes a reduction in the interface curvature, which is more consistent with a 90° contact angle. The competing interaction between these two forces is coupled together via the evolution of the interface shape. The model is then incorporated into a finite volume method for a two-fluid flow with an interface. Capillary flow experiments were performed, including vertical and horizontal flows. Phenomena analysis and data comparisons were conducted to verify the proposed model. According to the results of our study, the model can explain the capillary flow process well and it can be also used to accurately guide capillary flow calculations.     

Non-local crowd dynamics

We present a new class of macroscopic models for pedestrian flows. Each individual is assumed to move toward a fixed target, deviating from the best path according to the crowd distribution. The resulting equation is a conservation law with a non-local flux. Each equation in this class generates a Lipschitz semigroup of solutions and is stable with respect to the functions and parameters defining it. Moreover, key qualitative properties such as the boundedness of the crowd density are proved. Two specific models in this class are considered.     

Triangulations of Seifert fibred manifolds

It is not completely unreasonable to expect that a computable function bounding the number of Pachner moves needed to change any triangulation of a given 3-manifold into any other triangulation of the same 3-manifold exists. In this paper we describe a procedure yielding an explicit formula for such a function if the 3-manifold in question is a Seifert fibred space.Revised version: 5 March 2004     

Painlevé’s paradox and dynamic jamming in simple models of passive dynamic walking

Painlevé’s paradox occurs in the rigid-body dynamics of mechanical systems with frictional contacts at configurations where the instantaneous solution is either indeterminate or inconsistent. Dynamic jamming is a scenario where the solution starts with consistent slippage and then converges in finite time to a configuration of inconsistency, while the contact force grows unbounded. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that these two phenomena are also relevant to the field of robotic walking, and can occur in two classical theoretical models of passive dynamic walking — the rimless wheel and the compass biped. These models typically assume sticking contact and ignore the possibility of foot slippage, an assumption which requires sufficiently large ground friction. Nevertheless, even for large friction, a perturbation that involves foot slippage can be kinematically enforced due to external forces, vibrations, or loose gravel on the surface. In this work, the rimless wheel and compass biped models are revisited, and it is shown that the periodic solutions under sticking contact can suffer from both Painlevé’s paradox and dynamic jamming when given a perturbation of foot slippage. Thus, avoidance of these phenomena and analysis of orbital stability with respect to perturbations that include slippage are of crucial importance for robotic legged locomotion.     

On the solutions of a dynamic contact problem for a thermoelastic von Kármán plate

We study a dynamic contact problem for a thermoelastic von Kármán plate vibrating against a rigid obstacle. The plate is subjected to a perpendicular force and to a heat source. The dynamics is described by a hyperbolic variational inequality for deflections. The parabolic equation for a thermal strain resultant contains the time derivative of the deflection. We formulate a weak solution of the system and verify its existence using the penalization method. A detailed analysis of the velocity, acceleration, and reaction force of the solution is given. The singular nature of the dynamic contact makes it necessary to treat the acceleration and contact force as time-dependent measures with nonzero singular parts in the zones of contact. Accordingly, the velocity field over the plate suffers (global) jumps at a countable number of times with natural physical interpretations of the signs of the jumps.     

Non-local first-order modelling of crowd dynamics: A multidimensional framework with applications

In this work a physical modelling framework is presented, describing the intelligent, non-local, and anisotropic behaviour of pedestrians. Its phenomenological basics and constitutive elements are detailed, and a qualitative analysis is provided. Within this common framework, two first-order mathematical models, along with related numerical solution techniques, are derived. The models are oriented to specific real world applications: a one-dimensional model of crowd–structure interaction in footbridges and a two-dimensional model of pedestrian flow in an underground station with several obstacles and exits. The noticeable heterogeneity of the applications demonstrates the significance of the physical framework and its versatility in addressing different engineering problems. The results of the simulations point out the key role played by the physiological and psychological features of human perception on the overall crowd dynamics.     

A differential game of evasion with delays

A game of evasion (or contact avoidance problem) described by a system of differential equations containing delays in state and control is considered. There is given a sufficient condition for the existence of a strategy which ensures the contact avoidance. A method of constructing such a strategy is presented.     

Existence results for dynamic adhesive contact of a rod

The existence and uniqueness of the weak solution to the model for the dynamics of a viscoelastic rod which is in adhesive contact with an obstacle is established. The model consists of a hyperbolic equation for the vibrations of the rod coupled with a nonlinear ordinary differential equation (ODE) for the evolution of the bonding function. The model allows for failure, i.e., complete debonding, in finite time. The existence of the weak solution is established by using an existence result for ODEs and the Schauder fixed-point theorem. The limit of an elastic rod when the viscosity vanishes is studied, too.     

The greedy triangulation can be computed from the Delaunay triangulation in linear time

The greedy triangulation of a finite planar point set is obtained by repeatedly inserting a shortest diagonal that does not cross those already in the plane. The Delaunay triangulation, which is the straight-line dual of the Voronoi diagram, can be produced in O(nlogn) worst-case time, and often even faster, by several practical algorithms. In this paper we show that for any planar point set S, if the Delaunay triangulation of S is given, then the greedy triangulation of S can be computed in linear worst-case time (and linear space).     

On validation of SigmaEva pedestrian evacuation computer simulation module with bottleneck flow

This article is focused on dynamics of the computer simulation module SigmaEva in bottlenecks. Unidirectional flow was considered. The module SigmaEva realizes the discrete-continuous stochastic pedestrian dynamics model SIgMA.DC that is shortly presented here. Specific and full flow rates for different bottleneck width are given in comparison with experimental data.     

一种基于Dijkstra算法的机器人避障问题路径规划

移动机器人的避障问题是移动机器人控制领域的研究热点.针对给定的移动机器人避障问题,探讨了最短路径及最短时间路径的路径规划问题.对于最短路径问题,建立了简化的路径网格模型,将其抽象为由节点及边构成的两维图,再使用经典的Dijkstra算法获得可行的最短路径.对于最短时间路径问题,通过分析移动机器人弯道运行的速度曲线,基于几何方法得出了移动时间与过渡圆弧圆心之间严格的数学关系,此后借助MATLAB优化函数获得最佳的移动路径.算法可为类似机器人避障问题的解决提供借鉴.     

Path finding for human motion in virtual environments

This paper presents an efficient and robust technique for generating global motion paths for a human model in virtual environments. Initially, a scene is discretized using raster hardware to generate an environment map. An obstacle-free cell path sub-optimal according to Manhattan metric is generated between any two cells. Unlike 2D techniques present in literature, the proposed algorithm works for complex 3D environments suitable for video games and architectural walk-throughs. For obstacle avoidance, the algorithm considers both physical dimensions of the human and actions such as jumping, bending, etc. Path smoothening is carried out to keep the cell path as closely as possible to Euclidean straight-line paths.