D.E. Beskos

Bio: D.E. Beskos is an academic researcher from University of Patras. The author has contributed to research in topics: Boundary element method & Finite element method. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 25 publications receiving 533 citations. Previous affiliations of D.E. Beskos include University of Minnesota.

Multilane traffic flow dynamics: Some macroscopic considerations

Abstract: The subject of macroscopic modelling and analysis of multilane homodirectional freeway flow is discussed in this paper. Two existing models are extended and treated numerically so that their simplifying assumptions are relaxed. Further, two new formulations are developed; the first is two dimensional with respect to space (i.e. in addition to the street length it includes the street width explicitly) while the second is one dimensional high order dynamic (i.e. it incorporates a momentum equation in order to take into acount acceleration and inertia effects). All modelling alternatives are implemented into a few exemplary situations representing uninterrupted and interrupted flow conditions. Finally, comparisons with aggregate results obtained from microscopic simulation are presented.

Analysis of interrupted traffic flow by finite difference methods

Abstract: Three numerical techniques for macroscopic analysis of traffic dynamics at signalized links (isolated or coordinated) are presented. The techniques are based on finite differences in time and space and assist in implementing continuum models at real situations. The general methodology presented allows treatment of any arrival and departure pattern, inclusion of sinks or sources, employment of any desired equilibrium flow-density relationship and arbitrary specified initial conditions. Implementation of the proposed method to a signalized intersection and a coordinated link suggests satisfactory agreement with field data and notable agreement with analytical results, respectively. Comparisons made under progressively realistic assumptions demonstrate substantial improvements in model performance as the complexity of the assumptions increases

Dynamic response of 3-D embedded foundations by the boundary element method

Abstract: The dynamic response of three-dimensional rigid embedded foundations of arbitrary shape, resting on a linear elastic, homogeneous, and isotropic half-space is numerically obtained. The foundations are subjected either to externally applied forces or to obliquely incident seismic body or surface waves of arbitrary time variation. The time domain boundary element method (BEM) is utilized to simulate the soil medium with the aid of Stokes' fundamental solutions. The dynamic response of the foundation-soil system is obtained in a step-by-step time-marching solution. Use of this time domain BEM requires a minimum amount of surface discretization only and provides the basis for an extension to nonlinear soil-structure interaction (SSI) problems.

Moment resisting steel frames under repeated earthquakes

Abstract: In this study, a systematic investigation is carried out on the seismic behaviour of plane moment resisting steel frames (MRF) to repeated strong ground motions. Such a sequence of earthquakes results in a significant damage accumulation in a structure because any rehabilitation action between any two successive seismic motions cannot be practically materialised due to lack of time. In this work, thirty- six MRF which have been designed for seismic and vertical loads according to European codes are first subjected to five real seismic sequences which are recorded at the same station, in the same direction and in a short period of time, up to three days. Furthermore, the examined frames are also subjected to sixty artificial seismic sequences. This investigation shows that the sequences of ground motions have a significant effect on the response and, hence, on the design of MRF. Additionally, it is concluded that ductility demands, behaviour factor and seismic damage of the repeated ground motions can be satisfactorily estimated using appropriate combinations of the corresponding demands of single ground motions.

Traffic and related self-driven many-particle systems

Abstract: Since the subject of traffic dynamics has captured the interest of physicists, many surprising effects have been revealed and explained. Some of the questions now understood are the following: Why are vehicles sometimes stopped by ``phantom traffic jams'' even though drivers all like to drive fast? What are the mechanisms behind stop-and-go traffic? Why are there several different kinds of congestion, and how are they related? Why do most traffic jams occur considerably before the road capacity is reached? Can a temporary reduction in the volume of traffic cause a lasting traffic jam? Under which conditions can speed limits speed up traffic? Why do pedestrians moving in opposite directions normally organize into lanes, while similar systems ``freeze by heating''? All of these questions have been answered by applying and extending methods from statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics to self-driven many-particle systems. This article considers the empirical data and then reviews the main approaches to modeling pedestrian and vehicle traffic. These include microscopic (particle-based), mesoscopic (gas-kinetic), and macroscopic (fluid-dynamic) models. Attention is also paid to the formulation of a micro-macro link, to aspects of universality, and to other unifying concepts, such as a general modeling framework for self-driven many-particle systems, including spin systems. While the primary focus is upon vehicle and pedestrian traffic, applications to biological or socio-economic systems such as bacterial colonies, flocks of birds, panics, and stock market dynamics are touched upon as well.

The cell transmission model, part ii: network traffic

Abstract: This article shows how the evolution of multi-commodity traffic flows over complex networks can be predicted over time, based on a simple macroscopic computer representation of traffic flow that is consistent with the kinematic wave theory under all traffic conditions. The method does not use ad hoc procedures to treat special situations. After a brief review of the basic model for one link, the article describes how three-legged junctions can be modeled. It then introduces a numerical procedure for networks, assuming that a time-varying origin-destination (O-D) table is given and that the proportion of turns at every junction is known. These assumptions are reasonable for numerical analysis of disaster evacuation plans. The results are then extended to the case where, instead of the turning proportions, the best routes to each destination from every junction are known at all times. For technical reasons explained in the text, the procedure is more complicated in this case, requiring more computer memory and more time for execution. The effort is estimated to be about an order of magnitude greater than for the static traffic assignment problem on a network of the same size. The procedure is ideally suited for parallel computing. It is hoped that the results in the article will lead to more realistic models of freeway flow, disaster evacuations and dynamic traffic assignment for the evening commute.

Requiem for second-order fluid approximations of traffic flow

Abstract: Although the “first order” continuum theory of highway traffic proposed by Lighthill and Whitham (1955) and Richards (1956)—the LWR model—can predict some things rather well, it is also known to have some deficiencies. In an attempt to correct some of these, “higher order” theories have been proposed starting in the early 70s. Unfortunately, the usefulness of these improvements can be questioned. This note describes the logical flaws in the arguments that have been advanced to derive higher order continuum models, and shows that the proposed high order modifications lead to a fundamentally flawed model structure. The modifications can actually make things worse. As an illustration of this, it is shown that any continuum model of traffic flow that smooths out all discontinuities in density will predict negative flows and negative speeds (i.e., “wrong way travel”) under certain conditions. Such unreasonable predictions are made by all existing models formulated as a quasilinear system of partial differential equations in speed, density, and (sometimes) other variables but not by the LWR model. The note discusses the available empirical evidence and ends with a (hopefully positive) commentary on what can be accomplished with first-order models.

State-of-the-art of vehicular traffic flow modelling

Abstract: Nowadays traffic flow and congestion is one of the main societal and economical problems related to transportation in industrialized countries. In this respect, managing traffic in congeste...

Lane-changing in traffic streams

Abstract: It is postulated that lane-changing vehicles create voids in traffic streams, and that these voids reduce flow. This mechanism is described with a model that tracks lane changers precisely, as particles endowed with realistic mechanical properties. The model has four easy-to-measure parameters and reproduces without re-calibration two bottleneck phenomena previously thought to be unrelated: (i) the drop in the discharge rate of freeway bottlenecks when congestion begins, and (ii) the relation between the speed of a moving bottleneck and its capacity.