Circular Curves | Simple Curves

Terminologies used in simple curve

 PC = Point of curvature. It is the beginning of curve.

 PT = Point of tangency. It is the end of curve.
 PI = Point of intersection of the tangents.
 T = Length of tangent from PC to PI and from PI to PT. It is known as subtangent.
 R = Radius of simple curve, or simply radius.
 L = Length of chord from PC to PT. Point Q as shown in the the figure is the midpoint of L.
 Lc = Length of curve from PC to PT. Point M as shown in the the figure is the midpoint of L c.
 E = External distance. It is the nearest distance from PI to the curve. From the above figure,
point M is the midpoint of the curve and E is the distance from PI to M.
 m = Middle ordinate. It is the distance from the midpoint of the curve to the midpoint of the
chord. From the figure above, m is the distance MQ.
 I = Deflection angle (also called angle of intersection and central angle). It is the angle of
intersection of the tangents. The angle subtended by PC and PT at O is also equal to I, where
O is the center of the circular curve from the above figure.
 x = offset distance from tangent to any point in the curve; note that x is perpendicular to T.
 θ = offset angle subtended at PC between PI and any point in the curve
 D = Degree of curve. It is the central angle subtended by a length of curve equal to one
station. In English system, one station is equal to 100 ft and in SI, one station is equal to 20
m.
 Sub chord = chord distance between two adjacent full stations.

Sharpness of circular curve

The smaller is the degree of curve, the flatter is the curve and vice versa. The sharpness of simple
curve is also determined by radius R. Large radius are flat whereas small radius are sharp.
 

Formulas for Circular Curves

The formulas we are about to present need not be memorized. All we need is geometry plus names of
all elements in simple curve. Note that we are only dealing with circular arc, it is in our great
advantage if we deal it at geometry level rather than memorize these formulas. For easy reference,
the figure shown in the previous page will be shown again here.
 

Length of tangent, T
Length of tangent (also referred to as subtangent) is the distance from PC to PI. It is the same
distance from PI to PT. From the right triangle PI-PT-O,

External distance, E
External distance is the distance from PI to the midpoint of the curve. From the same right triangle PI-
PT-O,

Middle ordinate, m
Middle ordinate is the distance from the midpoint of the curve to the midpoint of the chord. From right
triangle O-Q-PT,
 

Length of long chord, L

Length of long chord or simply length of chord is the distance from PC to PT. Again, from right triangle
O-Q-PT,

Length of curve, Lc
Length of curve from PC to PT is the road distance between ends of the simple curve. By ratio and
proportion,

An alternate formula for the length of curve is by ratio and proportion with its degree of curve.

SI units: 1 station = 20 m

English system: 1 station = 100 ft

If given the stationing of PC and PT

 
Degree of curve, D
The degree of curve is the central angle subtended by an arc (arc basis) or chord (chord basis) of one
station. It will define the sharpness of the curve. In English system, 1 station is equal to 100 ft and in
SI, 1 station is equal to 20 m. It is important to note that 100 ft is equal to 30.48 m not 20 m.
 

Arc Basis
In arc definition, the degree of curve is the central angle angle subtended by one station of
circular arc. This definition is used in highways. Using ratio and proportion,
 

SI units (1 station = 20 m):

English system (1 station = 100 ft):

Chord Basis
Chord definition is used in railway design. The degree of curve is the central angle subtended
by one station length of chord. From the right triangle shaded in green color,
 

SI units (half station = 10 m):

  

English system (half station = 50 ft):

Minimum Radius of Curvature

Vehicle traveling on a horizontal curve may either skid or overturn off the road due to centrifugal force.
Side friction f and superelevation e are the factors that will stabilize this force. The superelevation e
= tan (theta) and the friction factor f = tan (phi). The minimum radius of curve so that the vehicle can
round the curve without skidding is determined as follows.

From the force polygon shown in the right

The quantity v2/gR is called impact factor.

 
Impact factor

Back to the equation tan (theta + phi) = v2/gR

Recall that   and 

But  , thus

Radius of curvature with R in meter and v in meter per second

For the above formula, v must be in meter per second (m/s) and R in meter (m). For v in kilometer per
hour (kph) and R in meter, the following convenient formula is being used.

Radius of curvature with R in meter and v in kilometer per hour

Using the above formula, R must be in meter (m) and v in kilometer per hour (kph).
Problem 01 | Offset distance from simple curve to tangent
through PC
Problem 01
The angle of intersection of a circular curve is 45° 30' and its radius is 198.17 m. PC is at Sta. 0 +
700. Compute the right angle offset from Sta. 0 + 736.58 on the curve to tangent through PC.

A. 2.98 m
B. 3.37 m
C. 3.09 m
D. 3.87 m

Solution

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Length of curve from PC to A:

Angle subtended by arc s from the center of the curve:

Length of offset x:
            [ B ]   answer

Problem 02 | Radius of circular curve with given external

distance and angle of intersection
Board Problem
The angle of intersection of a circular curve is 36° 30'. Compute the radius if the external distance is
12.02 m.

A. 203.74 m
B. 253.72 m
C. 226.94 m
D. 214.67 m

Solution

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           [ C ]   answer

Problem 03 | Degree of curve for a given middle ordinate

and long chord
Problem 03
Given the following elements of a circular curve: middle ordinate = 2 m; length of long chord = 70 m.
Find its degree of curve, use arc basis.

A. 4.5°
B. 5.3°
C. 2.9°
D. 3.7°

 
Solution

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Apply Pythagorean theorem to find the radius:

Degree of curve (arc basis):

           [ D ]   answer

Compound and Reversed Curves

Compound Curves
A compound curve consists of two (or more) circular curves between two main tangents joined at
point of compound curve (PCC). Curve at PC is designated as 1 (R 1, L1, T1, etc) and curve at higher
station is designated as 2 (R2, L2, T2, etc).
 
 

Elements of compound curve

 PC = point of curvature
 PT = point of tangency
 PI = point of intersection
 PCC = point of compound curve
 T1 = length of tangent of the first curve
 T2 = length of tangent of the second curve
 V1 = vertex of the first curve
 V2 = vertex of the second curve
 I1 = central angle of the first curve
 I2 = central angle of the second curve
 I = angle of intersection = I1 + I2
 Lc1 = length of first curve
 Lc2 = length of second curve
 L1 = length of first chord
 L2 = length of second chord
 L = length of long chord from PC to PT
 T1 + T2 = length of common tangent measured from V1 to V2
 θ = 180° – I
 x and y can be found from triangle V1-V2-PI.
 L can be found from triangle PC-PCC-PT

Finding the stationing of PT

 Given the stationing of PC

 
Given the stationing of PI

Reversed Curve
Reversed curve, though pleasing to the eye, would bring discomfort to motorist running at design
speed. The instant change in direction at the PRC brought some safety problems. Despite this fact,
reversed curves are being used with great success on park roads, formal paths, waterway channels,
and the like.
 

Elements of Reversed Curve

 PC = point of curvature
 PT = point of tangency
 PRC = point of reversed curvature
 T1 = length of tangent of the first curve
 T2 = length of tangent of the second curve
 V1 = vertex of the first curve
 V2 = vertex of the second curve
 I1 = central angle of the first curve
 I2 = central angle of the second curve
 Lc1 = length of first curve
 Lc2 = length of second curve
 L1 = length of first chord
 L2 = length of second chord
 T1 + T2 = length of common tangent measured from V1 to V2

Finding the stationing of PT

 Given the stationing of PC

Given the stationing of V1

Reversed Curve for Nonparallel Tangents

 

Reversed Curve for Parallel Tangents

 
Spiral Curve | Transition Curve
Spirals are used to overcome the abrupt change in curvature and superelevation that occurs between
tangent and circular curve. The spiral curve is used to gradually change the curvature and
superelevation of the road, thus called transition curve.
 

Elements of Spiral Curve

 TS = Tangent to spiral
 SC = Spiral to curve
 CS = Curve to spiral
 ST = Spiral to tangent
 LT = Long tangent
 ST = Short tangent
 R = Radius of simple curve
 Ts = Spiral tangent distance
 Tc = Circular curve tangent
 L = Length of spiral from TS to any
point along the spiral
 Ls = Length of spiral
 PI = Point of intersection
 I = Angle of intersection
 Ic = Angle of intersection of the simple
curve
 p = Length of throw or the distance
from tangent that the circular curve has
been offset
 X = Offset distance (right angle distance) from tangent to any point on the spiral
 Xc = Offset distance (right angle distance) from tangent to SC
 Y = Distance along tangent to any point on the spiral
 Yc = Distance along tangent from TS to point at right angle to SC
  Es = External distance of the simple curve
 θ = Spiral angle from tangent to any point on the spiral
 θs = Spiral angle from tangent to SC
 i = Deflection angle from TS to any point on the spiral, it is proportional to the square of its
distance
 is = Deflection angle from TS to SC
 D = Degree of spiral curve at any point
 Dc = Degree of simple curve

Formulas for Spiral Curves

Distance along tangent to any point on the spiral:

At L = Ls, Y = Yc, thus,

Offset distance from tangent to any point on the spiral:

At L = Ls, X = Xc, thus,

Length of throw:

Spiral angle from tangent to any point on the spiral (in radian):

At L = Ls, θ = θs, thus,

Deflection angle from TS to any point on the spiral:

 
At L = Ls, i = is, thus,

This angle is proportional to the square of its distance

Tangent distance:

Angle of intersection of simple curve:

External distance:

Degree of spiral curve:

Symmetrical Parabolic Curve

Vertical Parabolic Curve
Vertical curves are used to provide gradual change between two adjacent vertical grade lines. The
curve used to connect the two adjacent grades is parabola. Parabola offers smooth transition because
its second derivative is constant. For a downward parabola with vertex at the origin, the standard
equation is
 

   or    .
 

Recall from calculus that the first derivative is the slope of the curve.
 

.
 

The value of y' above is linear, thus the grade diagram (slope diagram) for a summit curve is
downward and linear as shown in the figure below. The second derivative is obviously constant
 
 

which is interpreted as rate of change of slope. This characteristic made the parabola the desirable
curve because it offers constant rate of change of slope.
 

Vertical Symmetrical Parabolic Curve

In this section, symmetrical parabolic curve does not necessarily mean the curve is symmetrical at
L/2, it simply means that the curve is made up of single vertical parabolic curve. Using two or more
parabolic curves placed adjacent to each other is called unsymmetrical parabolic curve. The figure
shown below is a vertical summit curve. Note that the same elements holds true for vertical sag curve.

Elements of Vertical Curve

 PC = point of curvature, also known as BVC (beginning of vertical curve)

 PT = point of tangency, also known as EVC (end of vertical curve)
 PI = point of intersection of the tangents, also called PVI (point of vertical intersection)
 L = length of parabolic curve, it is the projection of the curve onto a horizontal surface which
corresponds to the plan distance.
 S1 = horizontal distance from PC to the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
 S2 = horizontal distance from PT to the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
 h1 = vertical distance between PC and the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
 h2 = vertical distance between PT and the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
 g1 = grade (in percent) of back tangent (tangent through PC)
 g2 = grade (in percent) of forward tangent (tangent through PT)
 A = change in grade from PC to PT
 a = vertical distance between PC and PI
 b = vertical distance between PT and PI
 H = vertical distance between PI and the curve

 
 

Formulas for Symmetrical Parabolic Curve

The figure shown above illustrates the following geometric properties of parabolic curve.

Properties of Parabolic Curve and its Grade Diagram

1. The length of parabolic curve L is the horizontal distance between PI and PT.
2. PI is midway between PC and PT.
3. The curve lies midway between PI and the midpoint of the chord from PC to PT.
4. The vertical distance between any two points on the curve is equal to area under the grade
diagram. The vertical distance c = Area.
5. The grade of the curve at a specific point is equal to the offset distance in the grade diagram
under that point. The grade at point Q is equal to g Q.

Note that the principles and formulas can be applied to both summit and sag curves.
 

rise = run × slope

Neglecting the sign of g1 and g2

vertical distance = area under the grade diagram

Other formulas
 

Problem 01 | Stationing and elevation of cross-drainage

pipe
Problem 01
A grade of -4.2% grade intersects a grade of +3.0% at Station 11 + 488.00 of elevations 20.80
meters. These two center gradelines are to be connected by a 260 meter vertical parabolic curve.

1. At what station is the cross-drainage pipes be situated?

A. Sta 11 + 493.42 km
B. Sta 11 + 509.67 km
C. Sta 11 + 515.14 km
D. Sta 10 + 600.00 km
 
2. If the overall outside dimensions of the reinforced concrete pipe to be installed is 95 cm, and
the top of the culvert is 30 cm below the subgrade, what will be the invert elevation at the
center?
A. 25.76 m
B. 22.15 m
C. 27.32 m
D. 21.83 m

Solution

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From the grade diagram:

 
 

The cross-drainage pipe should be at the lowest point of the curve. Stationing of the lowest point
indicated as point A in the figure:

         Answer for Part 1: [ B ]

 

Vertical distance between PC and PI:

Vertical distance between PC and the lowest point A:

Elevation of the lowest point A:

           Answer for Part 2: [ D ]

 
Problem 02 | Elevation of the first quarter point of
parabolic sag curve
Board Exam Problem
A descending grade of 6% and an ascending grade of 2% intersect at Sta 12 + 200 km whose
elevation is at 14.375 m. The two grades are to be connected by a parabolic curve, 160 m long. Find
the elevation of the first quarter point on the curve.

A. 16.082 m
B. 15.575 m
C. 17.175 m
D. 13.936 m

Solution

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From the grade diagram:

Horizontal distance from the lowest point to point Q:

 
Grade at point Q by ratio and proportion of triangles:

Elevation of PC:

Difference in elevation between PC and Q:

Elevation of the first quarter point Q:

           [ C ]   answer

Problem 03 | Elevation of the summit of vertical parabolic

curve
Board Problem
A grade line AB having a slope of +5% intersect another grade line BC having a slope of –3% at B.
The elevations of points A, B and C are 95 m, 100 m and 97 m respectively. Determine the elevation
of the summit of the 100 m parabolic vertical curve to connect the grade lines.

A. 98.32 m
B. 99.06 m
C. 97.32 m
D. 96.86 m

Solution

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Horizontal distance between A and B = (100 - 95)/0.05 = 100 m
Horizontal distance between B and C = (100 - 97)/0.03 = 100 m
 

The figure above place the parabolic curve at the middle-half:

Distance from PC to the summit:

Elevation of the summit:

           [ B ]   answer