Leveling

Chapter 4
[Link] of Leveling
Leveling is an operation in surveying
performed to determine the difference in
levels of two points.
By this operation the height of a point from
a datum, known as elevation, is
determined.
The most commonly used datum is mean
sea level (MSL)
Definitions
 Datum:- A datum is any reference surface to which the
elevation (vertical distance) of a points are referred. The
most commonly used datum is that of mean sea level.
 Elevation: - Elevation is the vertical distance of a points
above or below on assumed datum (level surface).
 Leveling:- The process or methods of determining the
vertical distance of a points relative to on assumed level
surface.
 Level line:- is the surface of which it has a constant
height relative to mean sea level.
 Horizontal line:- this is a line which is tangential to the
level line or a line which is normal to direction of gravitas
Cont…
 Bench Mark (BM):- are permanent reference points
or marks at which their elevation (reduced level) has
been accurately determined by leveling from other
permanent BM.
 Reduced level (RL):- is the height above or below a
reference datum- similar to elevation.
 Temporary bench mark (TBM):- are marks let up
on stable points near construction sites which all
leveling operation on that particular site will be
referred.
 Back sight (BS):- is the staff reading taken on
points of known elevation as a BM or a turning points.
 Fore Sights (FS):- is the staff reading on points
whose elevation is to be determined as a turning
points. It is the last staff reading denoting the
shifting of the instruments.
Cont…
Intermediate sights (IS):- any other staff
reading taken on a points at unknown
elevation from the same set up of the level. All
sights b/n BS & FS are IS.
Turning points (TP):- is a point denoting the
shifting at the level. It is the point on which
the back a fore sight are taken.
Station:- is a points of which whose elevation
is to be determined.
Height of instruments:- is the elevation of
plane of collimation (plane of sight) where the
instruments is correctly leveled.
Equipments used in
leveling
Basically three equipments are needed.
Level – to give the true horizontal line
Staff – to read vertical height
Tape – to measure height of instruments
 2. Principle of leveling

 RL = (100,003 – 1) RLA + BS = HPC = Height of plane of collimation

= 100,002 m
3. Booking methods
There are two methods of booking in the
field for leveling.
Rise & fall method
Height of collimation method.
 Rise and fall methods
Staff
BS IS FS Rise Fall RL Remark
Position
C 1.5 100 T. B. M.

D 2.5 1 99

E 2 0.5 2 101 C. P.
F 2.5 0.5 100.5
G 3.0 0.5 100
Sum 3.5 3.5 2 2

 BS   FS  Rise   Fall Last RL  First RL

 Height of instrument
method
Staff
BS IS FS HPC RL Remark
Position
C 1.5 101.5 100 T. B. M.

D 2.5 99

E 2 0.5 103 101 C. P.

F 2.5 100.5
G 3.0 100
Sum 3.5 3.5

(BS) - (FS) = Last RL – First RL

 The comparison of line of collimation
method and Rise – fall method
 Height of collimation
 Rise fall method
 1. It is more rapid & save time
 1. It is laborious to compute the
 2. this method is use for reduction of
rise & fall then RL
level for construction work  2. It is well adopted for
 Such as longitudinal or cross sectional determining d/c in elevation of two
leveling operation. points.
 3. There is no check for reduction of  3. There is complete check on
RLs of intermediate site reduction of RLs of IS.
 4. There are only two arithmetic  4. There arithmetic check.
check.  5. Errors in IS are detected.
 5. Errors if any in IS are Not detected
Misclosure, Limits and its
distribution
Misclosure in leveling can only be assessed by
Connecting the leveling back to the BM from which it
started
Connecting in to another BM of known ground
elevation.
A Common Criteria used to assess the misclosure (E) is
Where n = No ob instrument setup
M = Constant is mm ( 5)
k
OR E = m where K is the total distance in
Km
if E is with in the misclosure, it has to be contributed
equally to all set up
Example
Poin Readings Diff. in RL Cor. Corr. Rem.
t Elev. RL
No
BS IS FS Rise Fall

BM3 0.81 1350.2 1350.2 BM35

5 3 18 18
1 2.1 1.3 1348.8 - 1348.8
70 57 61 0.00 57
4
2 2.9 0.7 1348.1 - 1348.1
08 38 23 0.00 19
4
3 3.1 0.2 1347.8 - 1347.8 C.P /
3.7 33 25 98 0.00 94 T.P.
52 4

4 3.2 0.4 1348.3 - 1348.3

77 75 73 0.00 65
Error = 1350.230 – 1350.218 = 0.012 m
8 per setup = - 0.012/3 = - 0.004
Correction
Correction applied = - E = - 0.012 m
5 1.8 1.3 1349.7 - 1349.7
[Link] in leveling
The errors in leveling might occur due to
Instrumental error : Collimation (when
the line of sight is not truly horizontal),
Defect of staff, Tripod defects

Field error: staff not vertical, Handling the

instruments and tripod

Effect of Earth curvature and

refraction of light
 Instrumental error
Collimation error: The error occurs if the
line of the sight is not truly horizontal when
the tubular bubble is centered i.e the line of
sight is inclined up or down from the a1

e Horizontal line
horizontal.

Collimation error

a1 b1

d1.e e d2.e
e

d1 d2
A B
Two – peg test
case1
a1 b1

d1.e e d2.e
e

d1 d2
A B

hAB = (a1 – d1e) – (b1 – d2e)

Since the instrument is mid – way between A &
B
d1 = d 2
 hAB = a1 – b1
 Cont…
Case2

a2
b2
(d1+d2+d3) d3.e
e

B
Q
A
(d1+d2) d3

hAB = [a2 – (d1 + d2 + d3).e] – [b2 – (d3.e)]

= (a2 – b2) – (d1 + d2).e
Equating the two equation
(a1 – b1) = (a2 – b2) – (d1 + d2).e.
Therefore collimation error
 Effect of Curvature &
Refractions

(x’B’’)2 = (O’B’’)2 – (Ox’)2

D2 = (R + C)2 – (R)2
D2 = R2 + 2RCc + C2c – R2
 D2 = Cc(2R + Cc)

But Cc is negligible compared to R then

If the distance D is in kilometer and radius of the earth is
assumed to be 6370km

Cc = 0.0785 D2
in meter
Thus the combined effect of curvature & refraction

Cc = 0.0673 D2

in meter
1. Reciprocal leveling
a1 Horizontal line

A Line of sight e
b1

Level line
B

River

hAB = a1 – (b1 – e) ……………………………………………. 1

Horizontal line b2

a2
A Level line Line of sight

hAB = (a2 – e) – b2 ……………………………………………. 2

 Cont…
reciprocal leveling must be used to obtain
accuracy and to eliminate the following.
1) Error in instrument adjustment
2) Combined effect of earth’s curvature and
refraction of atmosphere.
Taking the average of the two true difference in elevation
2hAB = [a1 – (b1 – e) + (a2 – e) – b2]

hAB =1/2(a1 – b1) + (a2 – b2)

2. Inverted staff reading
B

RA RB HPC

A ( TBM)

RLA = TBM
HPC = RLA + RA
RLB = HPC – (-RB)
= HPC + RB
[Link] Leveling
Case 1: Base of the object accessible
Case 2: Base of the object inaccessible:
instrument stations in the same vertical
plane as the elevated object
Case 3: Base of the object inaccessible:
instrument stations not in the same vertical
plane as the elevated object
Case 1: Base of the object
accessible

R. L. of Q = R. L. of B. M. + S + Dtan
 2. Base of the object inaccessible: the instrument stations in the same
vertical plane as the elevated object

Case A: Instrument axis at the same level

R.L. of Q = R. L. of B.M. + S + h
Case B: Instrument axis at different level
Case C: Instrument axes at very different level
3. Base of the object inaccessible: the
instrument stations not in the same
vertical plane as the elevated object
Thank you