JAIPUR ENGINEERING COLLEGE AND RESEARCH CENTER
Class – Ist Year – I/II Semester: B.Tech. (Civil Engineering)
Subject –Basic Civil Engineering
UNIT -3 (Levelling)
Presented by –Sudhir Panwar (Assistant Professor)
Sudhir Panwar (Assistant Professor), JECRC, Jaipur 1 1
VISSION AND MISSION OF INSTITUE
Vision
To become a renowned centre of outcome based learning, and work towards
academic, professional, cultural and social enrichment of the lives of
individuals and communities.
Mission
M1. Focus on evaluation of learning outcomes and motivate students to
inculcate research aptitude by project based learning.
M2. Identify, based on informed perception of Indian, regional and global
needs, areas of focus and provide platform to gain knowledge and solutions.
M3. Offer opportunities for interaction between academia and industry.
M4. Develop human potential to its fullest extent so that intellectually
capable and imaginatively gifted leaders can emerge in a range of
professions.
Sudhir Panwar (Assistant Professor), JECRC, Jaipur 1 2
VISSION AND MISSION OF DEPARTMENT
Vision
To become a role model in the field of Civil Engineering for the sustainable
development of the society.
Mission
M1.To provide outcome base education.
M2.To create a learning environment conducive for achieving academic
excellence.
M3.To prepare civil engineers for the society with high ethical values.
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CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Levelling
3. Types
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1. Introduction
Leveling is the general term applied to any of the various processes by which elevations of points or differences in
elevation are determined.
Basic terms:
Vertical line. A line that follows the local direction of gravity as indicated by
a plumb line.
Level surface. A curved surface that, at every point is perpendicular to the local plumb line (the direction in
which gravity acts).
Level line. A line in a level surface
Horizontal plane. A plane perpendicular to the local direction of gravity.In plane surveying, it is a plane
perpendicular to the local vertical line.
Horizontal line. A line in a horizontal plane. In plane surveying, it is a line
perpendicular to the local vertical.
Vertical datum. Any level surface to which elevations are referenced. This is the surface that is arbitrarily assigned
an elevation of zero.
Elevation. The distance measured along a vertical line from a vertical datum
to a point or object.
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Leveling terms.
Benchmark (BM).
A relatively permanent object, natural or artificial, having a marked point whose elevation above or below a
reference datum is known or assumed.
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Station: A point where the levelling staff is kept.
Height of instrument: It is the elevation of the plane of sight with respect to assumed
datum. It is also known as plane of collimation.
Back sight(BS): It is the sight taken on the level staff, of a known elevation with the intention
to obtain the elevation of plane of collimation. It is called PLUS sight because it is added to
elevation of that point to get height of instrument or plane of collimation.
Intermediate sights(IS): These are the sight taken after back sight and before sighting the final
point. These are called MINUS sights. These are subtracted from plane of collimation to find
the reduced level of different points.
Fore sight(FS): The last reading taken from the instrument. This is also a MINUS sight.
Change point(CP) or turning point(TP): The point at which both BS and
FS are taken.
Reduced level(RL): The elevations of the points with respect to assumed datum.
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Types of levelling
Simple levelling
Differential levelling
Fly levelling
Profile levelling
Cross sectional levelling
Reciprocal levelling
There are two methods for obtaining the elevations at different points:
Height of instrument (or plane of collimation) method
Rise and fall method
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Height of Instrument method
The basic equations are
Height of instrument for the first setting= RL of BM + BS(at BM)
Subtract the IS and FS from HI to get RL of intermediate stations and change points.
Checking: ∑BS - ∑FS = Last RL – First RL. This is –ve for FALL and +ve for RISE.
Rise and Fall method
In this method the difference of the present staff reading is subtracted from the previous
staff reading.
Previous reading – present staff reading = +ve, denotes RISE
Previous reading – present staff reading = -ve, denotes FALL
Checking: ∑BS - ∑FS = Last RL – First RL= ∑Rise - ∑Fall
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Simple leveling
When the difference in the elevation of two nearby points is required then simple levelling is
performed.
Assume the elevation of BM Rock is known to be 820.00 ft.
The BS at BM Rock is 8.42ft.
So HI = (820 + 8.42)ft.
Now the FS on “X” is 1.2ft.
So the RL at “X” = HI – FS =
828.42ft
Note that the RL of the instrument station will never comes in the calculation.
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Differential levelling
Performed when the final point is very far from the final point.
We have to find RL at B.
It is given that RL at A is 100m and BS at A
is 2.45m
So, HI at L1=(100+2.45)=102.45m
FS at CP1=2.41m
RL at CP1=(102.45-2.14)=100.31m
Now BS at CP1=1.43m
HI at L2=(100.31+1.43)=101.74m
FS at CP2=2.18m
RL at CP2=(101.74-2.18)=99.56m
BS at CP2=1.38m
HI at L3=(99.56+1.38)m=100.94m
FS at B=1.54m
RL at B= (100.94-1.54)=99.4m (ans)
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Table of previous example (height of instrument method)
Note that ∑BS- ∑FS=last RL – first RL
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Table of previous example (Rise and Fall method)
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Fly levelling
Performed when the work site is very far away from the bench mark.
The surveyor starts by taking BS at BM and proceed towards worksite till he finds a suitable place for temporary BM.
All works are done with respect to temporary BM.
At the end of the day the surveyor comes back to original BM.
This is called fly levelling.
Profile levelling
Profile leveling, which yields elevations at definite points along a reference line,
provides the needed data for designing facilities such as highways, railroads,
transmission lines.
Reduced levels at various points at regular interval along the line is calculated.
After getting the RL of various points the profile is drawn. Normally vertical scale is
much larger than horizontal scale for the clear view of the profile.
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Reciprocal levelling
When levelling across river is required then this method is applied to get rid of various
errors.
The correct elevation is given as:
The instrument is set very close to A. so ha will be correct. Let the error in hb be “e”.
Therefore, correct reading at B is (hb - e)
Difference in the elevation= ha – (hb - e)
The instrument is set very close to B. so h’b will be correct. Let the error in h’a be “e”.
Therefore, correct reading at B is (h’a - e)
Difference in the elevation= (ha – e) – hb
2H = [ha – (hb - e) + (h’a – e) – h’b]
H = [(ha - hb) + (h’a – h’b)]/2
e = [(h’a – h’b) - (ha - hb)]/2
Thus the true elevation is given by mean of two
apparent differences in elevations.
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Difficulties in the levelling
Taking level of an overhead point
If we need RL of points like on chejja of the window,
then the staff is inverted. This reading is entered as a negative reading.
To get RL
RL = HI – (- y), where “y” is the inverted reading.
RL = HI + y
Levelling across the summit
The instrument set on one side of the summit, such
that line of sight just passes over the summit.
Levelling across a hollow
Instrument should set such that the reading at lowest
point of the hollow is maximum staff reading.
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REFERENCES
1. S.S.Bhavikatti
2. B.C. Punamia
3. S.K.Duggal
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