04. Shockwave theory by S.P. Hoogendoorn

Course subject(s) 04. Shockwave theory

This lecture discusses shockwave analyses. In the beginning an explanation will be given of why shockwave theory is useful. The 3 shockwave theory assumptions will be explained. A FOSIM example is presented with a lane drop (3 to 2 lanes) were shockwaves emerge. The program FOSIM will also be used in the assignment. A shockwave will be clearly and extensively defined. This lecture also discusses how shockwave equations can be used to predict the dynamics of congestion.

With shockwave theory you can determine the traffic state that you can expect when you have a certain demand profile, so the fundamental diagram can be determined at all location of the roadway segment you are analysing. How to do this is extensively explained in this lecture. Some applications will be given; temporary over-saturation of a bottleneck and a temporary blockade, like a traffic light or a open bridge.  These applications are on the slides but not on collegerama. Lastly the lecture  discusses factors that influence how a fundamental diagram looks like, therefore it is explained how the shape of the fundamental diagrams can be based on data.
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Also read Chapter 8 in the reader about shockwaves.

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