UNIT 3 - LEVELLING

BY - KALPESH RATHOD
What is Levelling ?
• Levelling in surveying is primarily used to determine the
relative height of various points on, above, and below the
ground's surface.
• Levelling is the process by which elevations of points or
differences in elevation are determined
Distance is always measured from a reference point with
known parameters (elevation, height above MSL, etc.). This
aspect of vertical distance measurement is referred to
as levelling in surveying.
Objectives of Levelling in Surveying / Areas of
Application
♦ Design of highways, railroads, canals, etc.
♦ Layout construction projects according to specific
design
♦ Calculate earthwork volumes / estimating reservoir
capacities
 roads

Application of Levelling in Surveying

Some of the main applications of levelling in

surveying are discussed below.

1.Levelling is required for the estimation and design of

canals
numerous civil engineering projects, including roads,
bridges, canals, etc. It is also required to survey routes and
alignment ( center line ) of highways, bridges etc.

2.Levelling is necessary for the purpose of earthwork,

including cut and fill.

3.The application of levelling includes pipeline surveys to cut and fill.

determine their routes and also to provide optimum slope
for the smooth flow inside pipelines.

4.Levelling in surveying helps in preparing contour maps

and topographic maps as well.
DEFINITIONS OF SOME COMMON TERMS
IN LEVELLING: Mean Sea Level (MSL):

The definitions of some of the commonly used terms in

levelling are as follows:

Mean Sea Level (MSL):

Average elevation of the sea surface based on hourly
tide gauge measurements over a period of 19 years

Backsight, foresight and intermediate sight:

a. The backsight or B.S. is the first reading from any
set up of the instrument
b. foresight or F.S. is the last reading taken before
disturbing the instrument from its set up.
c. All sights taken between B.S. and F.S. are known as
intermediate sights or I.S. It may be noted that
the word sight does not imply any direction, but it
denotes the reading.

Bench mark: A fixed point of known elevation is called

the bench mark or B.M.
Change point or turning point: The point
indicating the shifting of level is known as a change
point (C.P.) or a turning point (T.P.).

Datum: A datum surface or line is any arbitrarily

assumed level surface or line from which the vertical
distances are measured

Elevation: The vertical distance of a point with

respect to a given datum, either positive or negative,
Datu
is known as the elevation of that point.
m:
(6) Height of instrument: The elevation or R.L. of
the line of collimation, when the instrument is
correctly levelled, is known as the height of
instrument or the height of plane of collimation.
It may be noted that the term height of instrument
does not mean the height of the center of the
telescope above the ground where the level is set up. Elevation
:
Level surface: This is a surface on which all the
points are equidistant from the center of earth. As
earth is a sphere, a level surface will be a curved
surface. The examples of a level surface are liquid
surface of sea water, liquid surface of lake, etc.

Level line: The line drawn on a level surface is

known as a level line.

The horizontal plane - is defined as the plane

which is normal to the direction of gravity at every
point. The operations of chain survey, theodolite
traverse survey and plane table survey involve
measurements in the horizontal plane.

Horizontal line: The line in a horizontal plane is

known as a horizontal line. A horizontal plane at
any point is a plane tangential to the level surface
at that point.

Line of collimation: The line joining the

intersection of cross-hairs and optical center of the
object glass and its continuation
vertical plane - plane which contains a
vertical line perpendicular to the horizontal
plane is called a vertical plane

Vertical line or plumb line: The line normal

to a level surface is known as a vertical line or
a plumb line and the
LEVELS AND ITS TYPES
1. Understanding Levelling
Levelling is a process of determining the relative height or elevation of different points on the
Earth's surface.

2. Types of Levels
There are several types of levels used in levelling. The main types of levels are: a. Dumpy
level b. Tilting level c. Automatic (self-levelling) level d. Digital level

3. Dumpy Level
A dumpy level, also known as a bubble level or a builder's level. It is simplest level

4. Tilting Level
This type of level allows the telescope to tilt independently of the spirit level, which means it
can measure elevation differences even when the instrument is slightly out of level.

5. Automatic (Self-Levelling) Level

The automatic or self-levelling level is designed to minimize the errors caused by incorrect
leveling of the instrument.

6. Digital Level
The digital level is an advanced instrument that uses electronic sensors and on-board
processors to measure and display elevation differences
Dumpy Level
1. A traditional optical level where the
telescope is fixed in one direction.
2. A dumpy level, also known as a bubble
level or a builder's level, is a simple
and popular instrument used in
surveying and construction.
3. It consists of a telescope with
crosshairs, a spirit level (to check if the
instrument is level), and a sturdy
tripod for support.
4. The dumpy level is manually leveled
using the bubble and leveling screws.
5. It is durable and easy to use, but its
accuracy is limited compared to other
types of levels.
Tilting Level

1. It consists of a telescope attached with a

level tube which can be tilted within few
degrees in vertical plane by a tilting screw.
2. The tilting level is similar to the dumpy
level but has a more sensitive spirit level.
3. This type of level allows the telescope to tilt
independently of the spirit level, which
means it can measure elevation differences
even when the instrument is slightly out of
level
4. The line of collimation, is, however, made
horizontal for each pointing of telescope by
means of tilting screw. It is mainly designed
for precise levelling work.
Automatic level:

1. This level automatically adjusts the line

of sight to be horizontal by using an
internal compensator.
2. Also termed as self aligning level.
3. It has an compensator which consists
of an arrangement of three prisms.
4. The two outer ones are attached to the
barrel of the telescope.
5. The middle prism is suspended by fine
wiring and reacts to gravity.
6. The instrument is first levelled
approximately by the circular bubble,
the compensator then deviate the line
of sight by the amount that the
telescope is out of sight
digital level:

1. The digital level is a more advanced

instrument that features a digital
readout and often includes an
electronic sensor that automatically
measures height differences. It can
store data digitally and is often
connected to computer systems for
processing.

https://youtu.be/p5ZJj0aMs4A?
si=unTJkoyoBMUZsX32
Parts
1. Telescope: used to sight a staff placed at desired
station and to read staff reading distinctly.

2. Diaphragm : holds the cross hairs (fitted with it).

3. Eye piece: magnifies the image formed in the plane

of the diaphragm and thus to read staff during
leveling.

4. Level Tube: used to make the axis of the telescope

horizontal and thus the line of sight.

5. Leveling screws: to adjust instrument (level) so that

the line of sight is horizontal for any orientation of
the telescope.

6. Tripod stand: to fix the instrument (level) at a

convenient height of an observer
Temporary adjustments
• Temporary adjustments are to be made at each
setup of the instrument.

1. Setting up of the level

2. Leveling up

3. Elimination of parallax.
1.Setting up of the level
i) Release the clamp screw of the instrument

ii) Hold the instrument in the right hand and fix it on the tripod by turning round only the
lower part with the left hand.

iii) Screw the instrument firmly.

iv) Bring all the foot screws to the center of its run.

v) Spread the tripod legs well apart.

vi) Fix any two legs firmly into the ground by pressing them with the hand.

vii) Move the third leg to the right or left until the main bubble is approximately in the
center.

viii) Then move the third leg in or out until the bubbles of the cross-level is approximately in
the center.

ix) Fix the third leg firmly when the bubbles are approximately in the centers of their run.
2. Leveling up `
i) Place the telescope parallel to a pair of foot screws.

ii) Bring the bubble to the center of its run by turning the foot screws equally either both inwards
and both outwards.

iii) Turn the telescope through 90º so that it lies over the third foot screw.

iv) Turn this third foot screw so that the bubble corners to the center of its run.

v) Bring the telescope back to the original position without reversing the eye-piece and object
glass.

vi) Repeat the above operations until the bubble remains in the center of its run in both the
positions.

vii) Turn the telescope through 180º and check whether the bubble remains central
3. Elimination of parallax.
i) Remove the lid from the object glass.

ii) Hold a sheet of white paper in front of the object glass.

iii) Move the eyepiece in or out until the cross hairs are distinctly visible.

iv) Direct the telescope towards the staff.

v) Turn the focusing screw until a clear and sharp image in formed in the plane of the
cross hairs.
 1.450
1.430

Least count = 5 mm
 TYPES OF LEVELLING STAFF

SELF READING STAFF

TARGET STAFF
The surveyor reads the staff directly It uses a sliding target or marker that is
through the telescope of the leveling adjusted to the level line. The surveyor
instrument. moves the target until it aligns with the
crosshairs of the leveling instrument, and
then reads the position of the target on the
staff.
 TYPES OF LEVELLING STAFF

SELF READING STAFF

One length Folding Invar
Telescopic
staff staff Precision
staff
staff

Well seasoned Also known 36 % nikckel

wood as hinged and remaining
staff iron
Devdar wood
Circular Made up of
Least count – bubble is invar material
5mm fitted with it
to check its Its thermal
Also known as verticality expansion is
solid staff very low

Least count is
1- mm

Length – 3m
 TYPES OF LEVELLING STAFF

TARGET STAFF

• Lenth – 13 foot

• Available in two
lenth

• Both face are

graduated

• Vernier and
clamp are fixed

• Least count =
0.001 foot
Taking the levels of various points with Single setup / procedure
1. Set the level at a convenient point.
2. Perform the temporary adjustments.
3. Hold the staff vertically over the Benchmark, Observe the staff reading and write in the B.S
column of the field book.
4. Hold the staff at other points and note the staff reading in the I.S column of the field book.
5. Hold the staff on the last point and enter the staff reading in the F.S column of the field book.
6. Find R.L. of all the points by both the methods.
7. Apply arithmetical check.
 Plot CONTOURS on a SURVEY PLAN with
REDUCED LEVEL(R.L.) Points/ Interpolation of
CONTOURS

1. Start with making the site rectangle

2. here the site dimensions are 8 m x 4m.
3. Mark all four corners of rectangle with a
circle or any other symbol to highlight the
intersection
4. Similarly divide the longer length of the
rectangle into 8 equal parts and draw
vertical lines through them
5. This will give you a grid of 1m by 1m all
over your site.
6. Now mark the vertical lines in numeric
values 1,2,3,4.. and so on
7. and mark the horizontal lines in alpha
values as A,B,C... and so on.
8. Now write down all levels which we
got from survey at their respective
locations in the plan.

Next step will be to name the intersection points.

(1A, 2A, 3A, and so on )
10. After naming is done we will create our own contour intervals which is suitable for
working while designing on the site.
11. For that, pic lowest and highest point. That is 0.000 and 6.100 in our case. So we
will be taking 1 meter contour interval. And we will got 5 contour lines.
12. So letes start with one meter contour first.
13. We will start checking all grids starting from
the lowest point and will see on which grid or lime
our 1mt contour line will fall.
14. On our first grid at top left corner we can see
the height at point 1A is 0. And at 2A is 2 m. so
clearly nowhere between 1A and 2A a 1mt line will
fall. So mark it red. And move ahead.
15. Now on the line 18 and 2B the lowest point is
0.180 and highest point is 1.060. so it means there
is a 1mt level somewhere. So mark it blue.
16. Same for remaining.
17. On the line 2B-2C we will not get 1 mt level.
But lowest value that is 1.060 is more than 2 meter
itself,so it's red colour.
18. From blue lines only, the contour line will be
passing.
19. and our next and important task will be to find
exact location on those blue lines of the points
through which the 1mt contour line will pass.

20. Let's start with the line 2A-3A, in which 2A has

lower value of 0.200 m,

21. So we will subtract 2A from 3A and will get the

height difference between point 2A and 3A.
( 1.600-0.200 = 1.4 )

22. As width of grid size ( horizontal equivalent) is

1 meter, so devide 1000 by height difference we
got earlier that is 1.400. that is = 714.3

23. Now as contour level we currently working is 1

meter, so we will substract lowest value which is
0.200 at 2A from it. This, 1.000-0.200 = 0.800.

24. At last multiply 714.3 * 0.800 = 571.44.

( locate this point on the 2A-3A line starting from
the 2A as it has lower value)
( locate this point on the 2A-3A line
starting from the 2A as it has lower
value)

25. Do same procedure for

remaining.

26. as in 23 point, when we were

working for 1 meter contour, we
substract lowest value from 1 m,
here When selecting 2 meter
contour, we have to substract
lowest value from 2 meter
Plot CONTOURS on a SURVEY PLAN with REDUCED LEVEL(R.L.)
Points/ Interpolation of CONTOURS

https://youtu.be/v5Q1xag4_Yg?si=ZAWTEIjBM-
yxZZS1