Pedestrian dynamics in single-file merging flows

Single-file experiments are widely used to investigate pedestrian movement properties. However, most single-file experiments were conducted in a circular channel rather than complex structures. In this paper, we designed single-file merging experiments with different merging angles θ and inflow rates at the entrances of the branch and upstream. We found fundamental diagrams were not affected by the merging angle, but the fundamental diagram after merging (downstream) was different from that before merging (upstream and the branch) at large densities. The flow before merging had a peak value 1.2 ped/s at the density of 0.9 ped/m and the flow after merging increased with the density up to 1.6 ped/m. The function proposed by Weidmann was extended to describe the density–velocity​ relation before merging. Moreover, we found when the branch and upstream inflows at the entrances were large enough, the branch and upstream flows in the corridors would reach a balanced state and were almost equal, and putting a proper frequency of metronome program to control the inflow rate at the entrances can increase the efficiency of the merging flow. The flow in scenario with θ=120° was most efficient considering both Shannon entropy and average time headway. The results can be used to calibrate pedestrian simulation models.