A model for a network of conveyor belts with discontinuous speed and capacity

Abstract

We introduce a macroscopic model for a network of conveyor belts with various speeds and capacities. In a different way from traffic flow models, the product densities are forced to move with a constant velocity unless they reach a maximal capacity and start to queue. This kind of dynamics is governed by scalar conservation laws consisting of a discontinuous flux function. We define appropriate coupling conditions to get well-posed solutions at intersections and provide a detailed description of the solution. Some numerical simulations are presented to illustrate and confirm the theoretical results for different network configurations.