Research on the impact of ship traffic flow on the restricted channel segment of the middle Yangtze River based on traffic wave theory

Abstract Abstract On the basis of the influence of dry season on ship traffic flow, the gathering and dissipating process of ship traffic flow was researched with Greenshields linear flow—density relationship model, the intrinsic relationship between the ship traffic congestion state and traffic wave in the unclosed restricted channel segment was emphatically explored when the ship traffic flow in a tributary channel inflows, and the influence law of multiple traffic waves on the ship traffic flow characteristics in unclosed restricted segment is revealed. On this basis, the expressions of traffic wave speed and direction, dissipation time of queued ships and the number of ships affected were provided, and combined with Monte Carlo method, the ship traffic flow simulation model in the restricted channel segment was built. The simulation results show that in closed restricted channel segment the dissipation time of ships queued is mainly related to the ship traffic flow rate of segments A and C, and the total number of ships affected to the ship traffic flow rate of segment A. And in unclosed restricted channel segment, the dissipation time and the total number of ships affected are also determined by the meeting time of the traffic waves in addition to the ship traffic flow rate of segments. The research results can provide the theoretical support for further studying the ship traffic flow in unclosed restricted channel segment with multiple tributaries Article Highlights 1. The inflow of tributaries' ship traffic flows has an obvious impact on the traffic conditions in the unenclosed restricted channel segment. 2. The interaction and influence between multiple ship traffic waves and the mechanism of generating new traffic waves are explained. 3. The expression of both dissipation time of queued ships and the total number of ships affected in the closed and unclosed restricted channel segment are given.