## Optimization and Control of Traffic Flow Networks

• Traffic flow on road networks has been a continuous source of challenging mathematical problems. Mathematical modelling can provide an understanding of dynamics of traffic flow and hence helpful in organizing the flow through the network. In this dissertation macroscopic models for the traffic flow in road networks are presented. The primary interest is the extension of the existing macroscopic road network models based on partial differential equations (PDE model). In order to overcome the difficulty of high computational costs of PDE model an ODE model has been introduced. In addition, steady state traffic flow model named as RSA model on road networks has been dicsussed. To obtain the optimal flow through the network cost functionals and corresponding optimal control problems are defined. The solution of these optimization problems provides an information of shortest path through the network subject to road conditions. The resulting constrained optimization problem is solved approximately by solving unconstrained problem invovling exact penalty functions and the penalty parameter. A good estimate of the threshold of the penalty parameter is defined. A well defined algorithm for solving a nonlinear, nonconvex equality and bound constrained optimization problem is introduced. The numerical results on the convergence history of the algorithm support the theoretical results. In addition to this, bottleneck situations in the traffic flow have been treated using a domain decomposition method (DDM). In particular this method could be used to solve the scalar conservation laws with the discontinuous flux functions corresponding to other physical problems too. This method is effective even when the flux function presents more than one discontinuity within the same spatial domain. It is found in the numerical results that the DDM is superior to other schemes and demonstrates good shock resolution.
• Optimierung und Steuerung von Verkehrsfluß Netzwerken

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