Cross Section and Borrow Pit

Methods
This lecture covers:
•Readings: 26-1 to 26-6, 26-8 to 26-10.
•Figures: 26-1 to 26-4, 26-6, and 26-7
•Plate B-5 page 893, and B-2 page 890
•Examples:26-1 and 26-3
 Volumes
• Usage:
– Quantities of earthwork and concrete
– Capacities of some structures: tanks,..
– Quantities of water discharged by streams per
unit time
• Units:
– 1 yd3 = 27ft3
– 1 m3 = 35.315ft3
– Acre-foot: volume of an acre of 1 foot depth
 The Cross Section Method
• More accurate than a single profile along the
centerline.
• Done by measuring cross sections (profiles) at a
right angles to the centerline, usually at intervals of
50, or 100 ft.
• Readings at each cross section are taken at the
centerline and at critical points perpendicular to the
centerline.
• Cross sections are drawn and design templates are
superimposed, the difference in area is the area of
cut or fill at that section (end area).
• End areas can be cut, fill, or transition
(both).
• Use the areas to compute volumes,
knowing the distance between the
sections.
• The whole work can be done with
photogrammetry and a computer
software.
 Data Recording
• Plate B-5
• Left page looks like Profile leveling, no
intermediate points
– right page: in front of each station, a group of
fractions that describe the point location,
reading, and elevation, in the form:
99.2 Elevation
7.4 rod reading
52 distance from CL
 End Area Computation
• Simple
cases:
formulae in
fig 26-2, and
fig26-4
• End areas by
coordinates:
we will learn
it through
(traversing)
 End Area Computation
• Simple cases: formulae in fig 27-2, and fig 27-4
compute individual areas and add them up. After computing the
elevation at critical points, form a table:(mistakes!)
station H L C D E R G
24+00 0 C12.5 C15.8 C18.0 C10.1 C12.2 0
15 15 33.8 20 0 33.3 15
Compute the areas and add them up.
 Volume Computation
• Done after computing the end areas, identify which is cut
and which is fill. Two main methods:
• Average End Area: Multiply the average area of the two
sections by the distance between them. See next slide
– Ve = A1+ A2 * L yd3
2 27
Prismoidal Formula
•What is a prismoid? A solid with parallel ends joined
by a plane or continuously wrapped surfaces
•Fits most earthwork problems

VP = L(A1+4AM+A2) yd3
6*27
Where AM is the area of computed section midway
between stations.
•Prismodial Formula is more accurate, The difference
is called CP: Prismoidal correction
 Volume Computation
• Compute end areas at stations, fill the first three
columns in table 26-3.
• Compute the cut and fill volumes, one of the
formulae.
• Multiply the fill volumes by an expansion factor.
• Compute the amount of soil to be borrowed or
transferred out of the site, which is the difference
between the cut and the fill.
 Borrow-Pit Method
• Not suitable for linear features, very useful for
construction sites.
• The site is divided into equal squares of sides
20,50, or a 100 ft. Elevations are then
measured at the corners of the grid, which are
given titles that correspond to the coordinates
of the corner in the grid, ex: 3-D, 4-A,..
• V =  (hijn) A yd3
( 4*27 )
• The idea is to multiply each height by the
number of complete squares it is common to.
Plate B.2
The volume of any square, or part of a square is equal to the average
height(elevation difference) at the corners, times the area.
To compute the volume:
1- draw a line between the cut and the fill areas

2- compute the total volume

of all the complete cut squares,
do the same for the fill, use
the previous formula

3- Compute the
incomplete squares
separately and add them to the
squares.

4- Compute the difference

between the cut and the fill.,
pay attention to the expansion
factor.
Site 1
Site 3

Site 2
PROJECT 1
Instructions
36
Assumed 36
for piles
200 ft
20
 C
D