Convoy Movement: Consideration of Turning Geometrics for Selected Vehicle Shapes

Abstract

This research is aimed at facilitating the understanding of the restrictions of convoy movement with object shapes as they might apply to ground vehicles maneuvering in a theater-of-operations. Such a theater would include civilian or military disaster evacuation/relief and military security or logistics operations. The goal of the overarching study was first to identify routes for maximal throughput rate that will facilitate the maneuver of a convoy unit omnidirectionally (radially) to different localities at different elapsed times. The focus of this study was to characterize several models for physical boundary conditions. Having done so, they would be used to evaluate the passability of convoy vehicles through streets in an urban environment under different conditions of road geometry, especially at an intersection. Special cases are also evaluated to study the capability of the general models. Models for radius and length of curvature are also developed for different traffic geometrics such as intersections, curvature, and a circular island in an intersection. In all modeling approaches, detailed descriptions of the derivations are illustrated with numerical examples and figures. These road geometrics will help estimate the reduction of traffic speed for deployment of ground vehicles.