Emergence of 4-D System Fundamental Diagram in Urban Air Mobility Traffic Flow

Abstract

Urban air mobility (UAM) is an emerging mode that promises to provide relief to congested urban streets. UAM relies on airspace, however, which is an exhaustible resource considering minimum aircraft separation requirements. In light of these requirements and UAM vehicle attributes, a simulation is developed to explore UAM traffic flows and congestion development. A decentralized conflict resolution scheme is employed in the form of a non-linear program (NLP) to offer improved flexibility in detours relative to past aircraft simulations. An expansion of Edie’s definitions of density and flow rate are used in conjunction with average speed to explore the relationships between traffic flow characteristics. The results find that UAM traffic flows emulate those of other modes, by following the familiar traffic patterns of build-up and breakdown captured in the macroscopic fundamental diagram. These findings also suggest the presence of a capacity of airspace that should be carefully managed by operators to achieve optimal system performance. The relationships established in this study highlight issues that UAM operators and aviation planners may face and could be used to improve the vehicle traffic modeling of other UAM models.