The use of complex structure splines in roadway design

Objectives. The aim of the work is to develop the theory of spline-approximation of a sequence of points on a plane for using compound splines with a complex structure. In contrast to a simple spline (e.g., polynomial), a compound spline contains repeating bundles of several elements. Such problems typically arise in the design of traces for railroads and highways. The plan (projection on the horizontal plane) of such a trace is a curve consisting of a repeating bundle of elements “line + clothoid + circle + clothoid ...,” which ensures continuity not only of curve and tangent but also of curvature. The number of spline elements, which is unknown, should be determined in the process of solving the design problem. An algorithm for solving the problem with respect to the spline, which consists of arcs conjugated by straight lines, was implemented and published in an earlier work. The approximating spline in the general case is a multivalued function, whose ordinates may be limited. Another significant factor that complicates the problem is the presence of clothoids that are not expressed analytically (in a formula). The algorithm for determining the number of elements of a spline with clothoids and constructing an initial approximation was also published earlier. The present work considers the next stage of solving the spline approximation problem: optimization using a nonlinear programming spline obtained at the first stage by means of the dynamic programming method.

Methods. A new mathematical model in the form of a modified Lagrange function is used together with a special nonlinear programming algorithm to optimize spline parameters. In this case, it is possible to calculate the derivatives of the objective function by the spline parameters in the absence of its analytical expression through these parameters.

Results. A mathematical model and algorithm for optimization of compound spline parameters comprising arcs of circles conjugated by clothoids and lines have been developed.

Conclusions. The previously proposed two-step scheme for designing paths of linear structures is also suitable for the utilization of compound splines with clothoids.

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