Evacuation Model For Merging Traffic Flows In Multi-room And Multi-storey Buildings

Abstract

A program WAYOUT has been created to compute traffic flow in emergency situations from a multi-room and, possibly, multi-storey building. Only merging traffic flows are considered. In case of branching flows, a user is required to draw watersheds to divide the flows and compute them separately. The model is based on movement speed - density dependence derived by Predtechenskii & Mininskii [I] and takes into account a number of non-linear interactions of flows from different rooms. Only flows of healthy people are considered. Psychological factors are not attended to. Program WAYOUT can be run on an IBM PC or a compatible computer. The "Windows" version features traffic network visualization and evacuation process animation. Computed are: maximum times of evacuation from the blind ends and times .of complete evacuation from each room.