A PRODUCT MODEL OF A ROAD

The product model approach to CAD/CAE has been recognized as the probably most efficient way to complex integration of processes in the life cycle of a product in many different engineering fields. Implementations of product models have been most successful in mechanical engineering where first standards for model descriptions have been introduced and then further developed to become international standards (see 1 and 2). Because of the uniqueness of products the development of product models in civil engineering has not been as fast. Assembly constructions were among first types of building structures for which product models could be defined efficiently and were the existing standards could be adopted in a simple way. Superstructures were the following candidate, since their components could be described quite clearly (see for example 3). Some less complex attempts to standardize the description of structures in CAD have been made as well (see 4). However, very few attempts have been made in the field of roads. We noticed a model, developed in Nederlands by TNO Building and construction research, which has very clear structure and can be used as a perfect studying object. On the other hand, some software producers integrated many phases in the life cycle of the road within their own software environments. There are also noticeable attempts to define a standard of a road product model in the industry (e.g. in IAI- Industrie Allianz für Interoperabilität, Arbeitskreis Verkehrsplanung). In general, the development of product models can be separated in two streams: • Defining a product model from scratch is a typical approach in academic institutions and research groups, where ther