An extended microscopic traffic flow model based on the spring-mass system theory

This study proposes a new microscopic traffic flow model based on the spring-mass system theory. In particular, considering the similarity between the acceleration or deceleration behavior in traffic flow and the scaling properties of a spring, a car-following (CF) model is proposed based on the fundamental physical law of the spring-mass system. Stability of the proposed model is analyzed using the perturbation method to obtain the stability condition. Numerical experiments are performed through simulation. The results demonstrate the proposed model can capture the characteristic of propagation backwards of disturbance in traffic flow. In addition, the findings of this study provide insights in modeling traffic flow from the mechanical system theory perspective.