Spring-block model for a single-lane highway traffic

TL;DR

This paper models single-lane highway traffic using a spring-block system with asymmetric interactions, revealing complex behavior and a phase transition influenced by disorder levels.

Contribution

Introduces a spring-block chain model with asymmetric interactions and disorder to simulate and analyze traffic dynamics and phase transitions.

Findings

Identifies a dynamic phase transition influenced by disorder levels.

Shows uncorrelated sliding at low disorder.

Demonstrates correlated avalanches at high disorder.

Abstract

A simple one-dimensional spring-block chain with asymmetric interactions is considered to model an idealized single-lane highway traffic. The main elements of the system are blocks (modeling cars), springs with unidirectional interactions (modeling distance keeping interactions between neighbors), static and kinetic friction (modeling inertia of drivers and cars) and spatiotemporal disorder in the values of these friction forces (modeling differences in the driving attitudes). The traveling chain of cars correspond to the dragged spring-block system. Our statistical analysis for the spring-block chain predicts a non-trivial and rich complex behavior. As a function of the disorder level in the system a dynamic phase-transition is observed. For low disorder levels uncorrelated slidings of blocks are revealed while for high disorder levels correlated avalanches dominates.