PRECISE LEVELLING :

INTRODUCTION:
The primary reference at water-level recording stations is a set of stable bench-
marks, installed in locations where their level should not change. Upon initial
set-up of a station, the levels of therelevant parts of the installation are
established and recorded by means of accurate levelling.At least every two
years, the levels of the staff gauges, sensor level, internal gauge, tower structure
and benchmarks should be measured relative to each other as a check that
records are not in error due to bank subsidence or other movement.Accurate
levelling is thus a particularly important part of site establishment, installation
andquality assurance.
Definitions
Differential levelling is the term applied to any method of measuring directly
with a graduatedstaff the difference in elevation between two or more points.

Precise levelling is a particularly accurate method of differential levelling

whichuses highlyaccurate levels and with a more rigorous observing procedure
than general engineering levelling. Itaims to achieve high orders of accuracy
such as 1 mm per 1 km traverse
A level surface is a surface which iseverywhere perpendicular to the direction
of the force ofgravity. An example is the surface of a completely still lake. For
ordinary levelling, level surfacesat different elevations can be considered to be
parallel.

A reduced level is the vertical distance between a survey point and the adopted
level datum.

A bench mark (BM) is the term given to a definite, permanent accessible point
of known heightabove a datum to which the height of other points can be
referred.It is usually a stainless steel pin embedded in a substantial concrete
block cast into the ground. Athydrological stations rock bolts driven into
bedrock or concrete structures can be used, butstructures should be used warily
as they themselves are subject to settlement. The locations ofbenchmarks shall
be marked with BM marker posts and/or paint, and recorded on the Station

A set-up refers the position of a level or other instrument at the time in which a
number ofobservations are made without mooring the instrument.

Height of Collimation is the elevation of the optical axis of the telescope at the
time of the setup.

The line of collimation is the imaginary line at the elevation.

Orders of levelling refer to the quality of the levelling, usually being defined by
the expectedmaximum closing error.

APPARATUS:

The level, its tripod, the staff and the staff bubble are all precision items of
equipment upon whichthe accuracy of the work is highly dependent. They shall
be kept correctly calibrated, and be usedand stored with care.Levels shall be
carried in vehicles in a padded box, case or shelf in addition to the normal
case,and staves shall be kept in a canvas or plastic sleeve to prevent damage to
the face and entry ofdirt.

Levels :A level is basically a telescope attached to an accurate levelling device,

set upon a tripod so that it can rotate horizontally through 360°. Normally the
levelling device is a bubble, but modern onesincorporate a pendulum.
There are three basic types of level,
(a) Dumpy levels
These are more basic levels often used in construction work. The telescope is
rigidly attached to a single bubble and the assembly is adjusted either by means
of a screwed ball-joint or byfootscrews which are adjusted first in one direction,
then at 90°.

(b) Tilting levels

This type of level is fitted with a circular bubble for preliminary approximate
levelling and a main bubble which is attached to the telescope. For each
observation (not setup) the main bubble isviewed through an eyepiece and the
telescope tilted by a fine screw to bring thetwo ends of thebubble into
coincidence.

(c) Automatic levels(NI2- CARLZIESS):

This more modern type of level is now in general use. It has a compensator
which consists of anarrangement of three prisms. The two outer ones are
attached to the barrel of the telescope. Themiddle prism is suspended by fine
wiring and reacts to gravity. The instrument is first levelledapproximately with
a circular bubble; the compensator will then deviate the line of sight by the
amount that the telescope is out of level.

Staves
The levelling staff is a box section of aluminium or wood, which will extend to
3 or 5 m in height by telescoping, hinging or addition of sections. One face has
a graduated scale attached for readingwith the cross-hairs of the level telescope.
These faces can vary in pattern and graduation; 5mmgraduations should be the
maximum for accurate levelling of gauging stations.Many staves used these
days are of aluminium because of its durability. However aluminium has aco-
efficient of thermal expansion of :0.000023m/metre of length/°C
and this can cause some potential inaccuracies. For instance, "Survey Chief"
and "Bookreades"staves are standardised at 27°C, and in very cold weather
these staves could be as much as 3mmtoo short over their full length. For low
temperature work consult the temperature table for eachstaff which should be
with its "instruction manual" or printed on the staff itself.
Staff bubbles
These are generally a small circular bubble on an angle plate which is held
against one corner ofthe staff to ensure that the staff is held in a vertical
position. If the staff is not held vertical, thereading will be too large and may be
significantly in error.A staff bubble shall be used at all times. If one is not
available, the "chainman" (staff operator)shall rock the staff slowly back and
forth about the vertical in a line towards the instrument. Theobserver notes the
smallest reading which will occur when the staff is vertical.
• staves are too much of a precision item of equipment to be used in place of a
slasher, vaulting pole, etc.
• staves shall be transported in their protective cases to protect the face from
damage.
• wooden staves which become wet should be dismantled and dried out before
storing away.
• any moisture which is evident in an instrument must be allowed to disperse by
storing the level out ofits case in a warm room. Should it persist after several
days the instrument may require specialistservicing.

Checking the level’s accuracy

Levels can move out of adjustment so that their line of sight (line of
collimation) is not trulyhorizontal. This will cause errors in readings which
become greater as the viewing distanceincreases. However if a backsight and a
foresight are exactly equi-distant from the instrument, theerror in each sighting
will cancel each other out. This feature can be used to check the accuracy of
a level by the following simple method which is depicted in figure 6.2 (from
MWD, 1981):
• install three pegs or marks firmly in the ground at distances of 30 m apart in a
straight line; the centre
peg is only to mark the distance, but the outside two shall be firm enough for
reliable change points
• set up the level over the centre peg and read the staff on each of the outside
pegs in turn. Book these
values and calculate the height difference. This will be a true height difference,
as the distances are
equal and any errors will be self-compensating
• set up the level about 4 m to the far side of one of the outside pegs. Read the
staff on the peg 4 m away
and then on the one 64 m away. Book these values and calculate the apparent
height difference
• compare the two height differences; if the instrument is in adjustment (i.e. its
collimation is true) they
will be within 5 mm.
A method for checking the level accuracy
If the instrument's collimation appears to be out, recheck by repeating the
process. Then, whilstsetup at one of the outside locations, adjust the instrument
(according to the manufacturer'sLevelling & Surveyinginstructions) so that it
reads the correct value on the far staff, checking it against the near one. Two
staves are useful for this.This type of level check shall be carried out at least
once per year, preferably just prior to carrying
out a round of station inspections. The details and results of the checks shall
berecorded in anumbered level book and be readily retrievable as a quality
record, and the date of this calibrationcheck shall also be recorded in the
instrument inventory.
Lvelling procedures

(a) Setting up
• Backsight and foresight distances should be approximately equal to avoid any
errors due to collimation,
refraction or earth curvature.
• Distances must not be so great as to not be able to read the graduations
accurately.
• The points to be observed must be below the level of the instrument, but not
lower than the height of
the staff.
Reducing the levels
Two methods are in general use; the "rise and fall" method and the "height of
collimation" method.The latter reduces levels relative to the instrument height.
As it has inferior in-built checks it should not be used and will not be covered
here.The "rise and fall" methods shall be used for reduction of all site levelling.
Reduction shall becarried out on site before packing up to ensure that the
levelling has been done correctly.
• calculate the rises and fall between successive points and book them in the
appropriate column (one can
determine whether each shot is a rise or fall by the following rule of thumb: a
higher value on top
denotes a rise; a higher value on the bottom denotes a fall)
• add up the backsight and foresight columns for the entire traverse and note the
difference between
them; this is the close
• add up the rises and falls for the entire traverse, and compare the difference
between them with the
difference between the backsights and foresights; they should be the same
• carry the reduced levels in the R.L. column down the page by adding or
subtracting the appropriate rise
and fall values to the successive values of R.L. The final value of the original
starting point will differfrom the original value by the amount of the close.
If the levelling has been done correctly and all arithmetic reductions are correct,
the differencesbetween total backsights and foresights, total rises and falls, and
starting and finishing R.L.'sshould be the same. This difference is the close; and
for site inspection purposes it should bewithin ± 2mm or ± 6mm, depending
upon which water-level standard is being followed, ± 3mm or± 10mm.

Level books
All levelling shall be booked in either level books or levelling sheets which
shall be retained aspermanent records.Level books shall be numbered so that
they can be referenced on station history and inspectionforms. They should be
stored in fire-proof storage as for original record. They should also include
an index.

Closing error:
Using the formula. _______
Allowable Closing Error: E= C √D(Km)
where C is a constant for a particular class of levelling and D is the
distance levelled in Kilometres.
UNIVERSITY OF ENGINERING AND TECHNOLOGY ,LAHORE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

NAME:
UMAR ABDUR REHMAN

REG # 2012 –CIV -121

ASSIGNMENT NO 1

SUBMITTED TO: SIR JAMAL UR REHMAN