Numerical investigation on the impact of obstacles on phase transition in pedestrian counter-flow

Abstract

In this paper, a modified real-coded microscopic model is utilized to investigate the influence of obstacles on the pedestrian counter-flow. The four typical phases, i.e., free-flow phase, lane-formation phase, intermediate phase and congestion phase are reproduced by this model. Through the numerical results, the influence of the geometric features of obstacles, such as the inclination angle and the major-to-minor axis ratio, on the pedestrian counter-flow are analyzed. With increasing the inclination angle of obstacle or reducing the ratio, it is found that the moving efficiency and the probability of asymmetric flow will be increased, the occurrence of congestion phase will be delayed. Furthermore, the occurrence density of congestion phase will be increased with the distance between sloped obstacles. Finally, from the view of engineering application, the optimal setting of obstacle is given by comparing the fundamental diagrams.