SURVEYING-1

UNIT - 1
Introduction & Chain surveying
Synopsis

• Definition • Chain surveying

• Principles Setting perpendicular
• Classification Instruments used for
• Scales
setting out right angles
• Field &Office work
Obstacles
• Conventional signs
• Survey instruments • Traversing
• Well conditioned triangle Methods
• Ranging & Chaining Chain traversing
• Errors in chaining
Plotting
 Definition
 Surveying is the art of determining the relative position of points
on, above or beneath the earth surface by means of direct or
indirect measurements of distance, direction & elevation.

Principles

 Location of a point by measurement from two points of reference.

 Working from whole to part

• Plane or Geodetic

• Fix control points (higher precision) & minor control points

(less precision).

• It’s control error.

 P

PR,QR- measured
R R-plotted by swinging two arcs
principles Used- chain surveying

Q P
RS-dropped in PQ ,PS & RS measured
R plotted using set square 90
P This principle used for defining details. S R

QR, angle PQR measured Q

R R- plotted by protractor
Principles used - Traversing
Q
PR & QR not measured P

Angle PQR & RQP measured

R plotted by protractor
Principle used – Triangulation R

Used in very extensive work

Q

Angle RQP , distance PR measured

R
R plotted by protractor
Principles used – Traversing
Q
Classification
Classification based upon nature of field survey.
1.Land surveying
Topographical surveys- natural features of
rivers, streams, lakes, woods, hills etc.
Artificial features of roads, railways, canals,
towns & villages.
Cadastral surveys – calculation of land area
& also made to fix the boundaries of
municipalities & of state & Federal jurisdictions.
City surveys – construction of streets, water
supply system, sewers.
 2.Marine or Hydrographic surveys - deals
with water bodies for purpose of navigation, water
supply, harbour works.
3.Astronomical surveys – observation to
heavenly bodies such as sun & any fixed star.

Classification based on object of survey

1. Engineering surveys - roads, reservoirs
2. Military surveys - for determining
points of strategic importance.
3. Mine surveys - for exploring mineral
wealth.
4. Archaeological surveys – for unearthing relics of
antiquity.
 Classification based on instruments used
• Chain survey • Triangulation survey
• Tacheometric survey • Plane table survey
• Theodolite survey • Photogrammetric survey
• Traverse survey • Aerial survey
Scales
Area surveyed is vast so plans are made to some
scale.
“Scale is the fixed ratio that every distance on the
plan bears with corresponding distance on the ground”.
 Methods
Engineers Scale – 1cm = 10m
Also called
Representative Fraction – 1/1000 numerical
scales
Graphical Scale
Types
Plain scale – It is possible to measure two
dimensions only. Eg : miles & furlongs
Diagonal scale - It is possible to measure three
dimensions. Eg : meters, centimetres, decimetres
Vernier scale - It is a device for measuring
fractional part of one of the smallest division.
Scale of chords – To measure angle.
Field work & Office work
Surveyor work divided into three parts.
Field work – Measurement of angles & distances &
keeping of a record of what has been done in form of
field notes.
Office work – Drafting, computing & designing
Care & Adjustment of instruments
It requires experience in handling the equipments
used in the in the field. The many surveying instruments
are very delicate & must be handled with great care
since there are many parts of instruments which if once
impaired can not be restored their original efficiency.
Conventional Signs
Difference features on the ground are represented by
difference symbols. This symbols are called as
conventional signs.

Pine tree Ford Church

Sand pit Railway Stations

Survey Instruments for chaining
1.Chain or Tape 5. Arrows
2. Pegs 6. Ranging rods
3. Offset rods 7. Plasterer’s laths &
Whites
4.Plumb bob
Chain
Mild steel, every one metre one ring, brass handle.
Types of chains
• Metric chains – tallies for every 5,10,20,30 meters
• Gunter’s or surveyor’s chain – 66ft ,100 links
• Engineer’s chains – 100ft,100 links
• Revenue chain – 33ft,16 links (cadastral)
Tapes
It is used for accurate measurement
Tapes classification
Cloth or Linen Tape Steel Tape
Metallic Tape Invar Tape
Arrows
Arrows or marking pins are made of stout steel wire.
Length – 25 to 50 cm (commonly 40cm) , Diameter – 50mm
10 arrows supplied with a chain.

Pegs
wooden pegs are used to mark the positions of the stations or
terminal points of survey line.
15cm long,2.5cm or 3cm square
Ranging Rods
• Length – 2 to3 meter
• Rod should have white, red or yellow flags
• Ranging poles – similar to ranging rods & 4 to 8m ht

Offset Rods
It is similar to ranging rods. They are round wooden rods.
Length – 3m
Butt Rods
• Used for measuring offsets.
• It is used by building surveyors or architects.
• Length – 1m
• The rod is painted black.
• Feet & Inches marked out with White & Red paint.
Plasterer’s laths
• Made of soft wood.
• Length – ½ to 1m
Whites
• Pieces of sharpened thin sticks
• Used in cross sectioning or in temporary marking
of contour points
Plumb bob
• It is required to transfer the points to the ground.
• It is used in centering aid in theodolites, compass,
plane table & other surveying instruments.
• Also used to make ranging poles vertical.
Well conditioned triangle or Well connected
triangle
Well condition triangle should satisfy the following
Conditions.
1. The magnitude of angles in each individual triangle
(>30° & <120°).
2. The arrangement of triangle
 This will minimize the error in measurement angle &
length. The above conditions are satisfied by the
triangle is called well conditioned triangle. A
Cos A = b²+c²-a²/2bc c
256 b
Cos A =103²+256²-156²/2*103*156 103
=0.9824 B C
a
A =Cosˉ¹(0.9824) 156
A =10°45’ given triangle is ill conditioned
Ranging
While survey line length is measured 20m,30m we
can use chain or tape but if it extends it is difficult to
measure. So that intermediate points are established
between the two points.
“The process of fixing or establishing such
intermediate points called ranging”.
P
There are two types of ranging:
1. Direct ranging – It is done when A
A B
two ends of survey lines are intervisible.
2. Indirect or reciprocal ranging – It is resorted when
both ends of the survey lines are not intervisible.
M N
A B
M2 N2
M N
A B M1 N1
Chaining
Two chain men required to measure length.
1. Follower – Zero end or real end.
2. Leader - Holding forward handle.
Errors due to incorrect chain
L = true length L' = incorrect length of chain
1. Correction to measure length
l = l' (L'/L) l = true length l' = measured length
2. Correction to area
A = A'(L'/L)² A' = measured area of the ground
A = true area of the ground
3. Correction to volume
V = V'(L'/L)³ V = true volume
V' = measured volume
Errors in chaining
1. Errorneous length of chain or tape cumulative + or –
2. Bad ranging cumulative +
3. Tape not stretched horizontally cumulative +
4. Tape not stretched tight & straight,
but both ends in line cumulative +
5. Error due to temperature cumulative + or –
6. Variation in pull compensating ±
7. Errors due to sag cumulative +
8. Error in marking tape lengths compensating ±
9. Disturbing arrows after they are set blunder
10.Errors in reading the tape mistake
11.Incorrect counting of tape lengths blunder
Chain surveying
Chain surveying is the type of surveying in which
only linear measurements are made in field.
Setting perpendicular
The point or object is located by measurement of a
distance & angle from a point on chain line. When the
angle of offset is 90° it is called perpendicular offset.
R

A B

When the angle of offset is other than 90° is oblique

set.
R

P S
Q
Instrument for setting out right angles
• Cross staff
1. Open cross staff
2. French cross staff
3. Adjustable cross staff
• Optical square
• Site square
Obstacles in chaining
• Obstacles to ranging
• Obstacles to chaining
• Obstacles to chaining & ranging
Traversing
Traversing is the type of surveying in which a number
of connected survey lines form a frame work &
directions, length of survey lines are measured.
Closed traverse
Lines form a circuit which ends at starting point.
Open traverse
Circuit ends elsewhere.
Methods of traversing
• Chain traversing
• Chain & Compass traversing (loose needle method)
• Transit tape traversing
• By fast needle method
• By measurement of angle between lines
• Plane table traversing
Chain traversing
• Chain & Tape is used to do the work
• No angle measuring instruments used
• Directions of the lines are fixed by linear
measurements. The angles fixed by linear
measurements are known as chain angles.
• This method is unsuitable for accurate work.
Plotting
Plotting is done by two methods:
• Angle & distance methods
• By protractor
• By tangent of angle
• By chord of angle
• Co-ordinate method
This method is more practical & accurate.
Balancing the traverse
Following are methods of adjusting the traverse:
• Bowditch’s method
• Transit method
• Graphical method
• Axis method