Instrument Test and

Adjustment
1. Adjustment of the Cross Hairs

 To see if the horizontal cross hair lies in a plane

perpendicular to the vertical axis of the instrument
2. Adjustment of the Level Vial

 To make the axis of the level vial perpendicular to

the vertical axis of the instrument
3. Adjustment of the Line of Sight

 To make the line of sight parallel to the axis of the

level vial
 Possibility that the line of sight of a level will be
inclined either above or below the horizontal
 Two-Peg Test

 The purpose is to check that the line of sight through

the level is horizontal (parallel to the axis of the
bubble)

The line of sight is defined by the location of the

horizontal crosshair
 Two-Peg Test

Optical Axis and Level Tube Axis

 Two-Peg Test Procedure

 Place 2 pegs, 60 to 90m apart are established on the

ground
 Set up the instrument such that the eyepiece is 20cm or
less in front of the rod held on one of the pegs as at A
 A rod reading a is taken on the end of the telescope
 Telescope is then turned toward the rod now held over
the other peg at B, and a rod reading b is taken on it
 The instrument is next moved, set up, and leveled near B
where a second set of rod readings, c and d, are taken on
the rod held at B and A
 Two-Peg Test

DEa  a  b
DEb  d  c
* DEa = DEb, level in adjustment
If not, level out of adjustment

When the line of sight is inclined from the horizontal, the error in the
line of sight from the distance AB is
e = difference in elevation between d and d’

e  d  d'
 Two-Peg Test

True Difference in Elevation

TDEa  a  (b  e) TDEb  (d  e)  c
DEa  DEb
TDE 
2
If DEa is not equal to DEb, the correct rod reading at A with the
instrument still set up near B is

( a  b)  ( d  c )
d '  c  TDE  c 
2
If d > d’, the line of sight is inclined upward
d < d’, it is downward.
 Illustrative Problem

 In the two-peg test of a dumpy level the following

observations were taken:
Rod Reading Instrument Set up Instrument Set up
at A at B
On point A 1.50m 0.94m
On point B 2.05m 1.45m

a) Determine if the line of sight is in adjustment

b) If the line of sight is not in adjustment, determine the correct
rod reading on A with the instrument still set up near B
c) Determine the error on the line of sight for the net distance AB
 Alternate Procedure

 Place 2 stakes at a distance of 200 to 300 ft (60 to 90m)

apart
 Set up the level midway between the 2 stakes, and rod
readings are taken at both locations
 If the line of sight through the level is not horizontal, the
errors in rod readings (Δe1) at both points A and B will be
identical (level is halfway between the points)
 Because the errors are identical, the calculated difference
in elevation between A and B (difference in rod readings)
will be true difference in elevation
 Alternate Procedure

a
b
 Alternate Procedure

 The level is then moved to within 5-6ft, or 2m (minimum

focusing distance of the level) of one of the points and set
up with a rod reading determined
 Any line-of-sight error generated over that very short
distance will be relatively insignificant compared to the
next rod reading at B
 The rod is then held at B and a rod reading obtained
 Alternate Procedure

c d’

d
 Curvature and Refraction

 The effects of earth curvature and atmospheric

refraction are taken into account in leveling since the
measurements are made in vertical planes

 Due to the earth’s curvature, a horizontal line

departs from a level line by 0.0785m in one
kilometer, varying as the square of the length of the
line
 Based on the mean radius of the earth = 6371m
 Curvature and Refraction

 Refraction is largely a function of atmospheric pressure

and temperature gradients, which may cause: the
bending to be up or down by extremely variable amounts

 Combination of the earth’s curvature and atmospheric

refraction causes telescope’s the line of sight to vary from
a level line by approx.
0.0785 – 0.0110 or 0.0675m per kilometer
varying as the square of the sight distance in kilometer
Curvature and Refraction
 Curvature and Refraction

h’ = 0.0675K2

h’ = departure of a telescope line of sight from a level

line, m
K = length of the line of sight, km
0.0675 = coefficient of refraction
- varies to a certain degree for different
elevations, average
 Illustrative Problem

 A man standing on a beach can just see the top of a

lighthouse 25.0km away. If his eye height above sea
level is 1.65m, determine the height of the lighthouse
above sea level.