The initial boundary value problem for second order traffic flow models with vacuum: existence of entropy weak solutions (Q6107070)

This paper deals with the generic second order model (GSOM in short) introduced by \textit{J.-P. Lebacque}, \textit{S. Mammar} and \textit{H. Haj-Salem} [``Generic second order traffic flow modelling'', in: Transportation and traffic theory 2007. Papers selected for presentation at ISTTT17. Amsterdam: Elsevier. 755--776 (2007)], to provide a general framework for macroscopic traffic flow modelling. It consists of the following \(2\times 2\) hyperbolic system of conservation laws \[ \begin{cases} \partial_t\rho+\partial_x(\rho v)=0\,,\\ \partial_t(\rho w)+\partial_x(\rho wv)=0\,,\ \end{cases}\qquad x\in\mathbb R\,,\,\,t>0\,, \] defined on a domain \(\Omega\subset\{(\rho, w)\in\mathbb R^2\,,\,\rho\ge 0\,,\,w\ge 0\}\), where the average speed of vehicles is a function of the density \(\rho=\rho(t,x)\) and a Lagrangian vehicle property \(w=w(t,x)\), namely \(v=\mathcal V(\rho, w)\) for some speed function \(\mathcal V:\Omega\rightarrow\mathbb R_{\ge 0}\). \newline The authors study the initial boundary value problem (IBVP) on a bounded interval \(]x_{in}, x_{out}[\), in the case when the GSOM system is non-strictly hyperbolc, namely vacuum states \(\rho=0\) on the road stretch \(]x_{in}, x_{out}[\) are allowed, and the boundaries can be characteristic. \newline After introducing the Riemann solver for the GSOM model, based on [\textit{B. Andreianov} et al., Math. Models Methods Appl. Sci. 26, No. 4, 751--802 (2016; Zbl 1337.35086)], and giving a detailed characterization of the admissible states at the boundary, the authors prove the existence of entropy weak solutions of the IBVP with bounded variation data, by convergence of wave-front tracking approximations.