CURVES COMPUTATION

PLAIN TRANSITION CURVES (CLOTHOID) - FORMULAS:

Central angle of transition curve: =

arc  =
L

L2

A2 2
arc  =
 .
2 R 2A 2 2 R 2 200
5 9
L L
xpk a ypk ( coordinates) : x PK = L - + - ...
40 A 3456 A8
4

L3 L7 L11
yPK = - + - ...
6 A2 336A6 42240A10

R = y PK - R 1 - cos 
offset of plain circular curve
from tangent R :

coordinate of shifted PT x s = x PK - R sin 

(or TP) xs :

1
xM : x M = x PK - y PK   x PK - y PK . cot g
tg
st: y PK
sin 
st =

external distance of y PK 7,782

  7 ,967 m
cos cos 13,78 g
the curve: z=

tangent T: T x y .tg 
pk pk
 CURVES COMPUTATION
PLAIN TRANSITION CURVES (CLOTHOID) - EXAMPLE:
Deflection angle of circular curve is αs = 70 2´20´´ with radius R = 650,00 m.
The beginning of stationing is in point TK (0,000 00 km); stationing 50 m

1. (RED ALERT AGAIN) Recalculating deflection angle:

grad (gon) αs = 70 2´ 20´´ = 70,04  = 77,82g
100g
90
6066,6
g

30
33,3g 2. Find central angle of transition curve :
200180
g 00g
=
 =
77,82
g
 38,91 g
2 2

3. Find the lenght and parameter of curve:

arc  =
 .  0,6112
200
arc  = A = 2 R 2 arc   2.650 2.1, 2223  718 ,654
L L2 A2
 
2 R 2A 2 2 R 2

A 2 718,654 2
L=   794,559m
R 650
 CURVES COMPUTATION
PLAIN TRANSITION CURVES (CLOTHOID) - EXAMPLE:
Deflection angle of circular curve is αs = 70 2´20´´ with radius R = 650,00 m.
The beginning of stationing is in point TK (0,000 00 km); stationing 50 m
4. Find coordinates of end point of curve (PKP) :
L5 L9 7 94 ,559 5 7 94 ,559 9
x PK =L- + - ...  7 94 ,559 - +  765 ,390 m
40 A 4 3456 A 8 40.718,654 4
3456.718,6 54 8
L3 L7 L11 794,559 3 794,559 7 794,559 11
y PK = - + - ...  - +  157 ,610 m
6 A 2 336 A 6 42240 A10 6.718,654 2 336.718,65 4 6 42240.718, 654 10

5. Find offset of plain circular curve from tangent R :


R = y PK - R 1 - cos  = 157,610 - 650 1 - cos 38,91g  39,935 m 
6. Find coordinate of shifted PT (or TP) xs :
x s = x PK - R sin  = 765,390 - 650.sin38, 91  392 ,38 m
g
 CURVES COMPUTATION
PLAIN TRANSITION CURVES (CLOTHOID) - EXAMPLE:
Deflection angle of circular curve is αs = 70 2´20´´ with radius R = 650,00 m.
The beginning of stationing is in point TK (0,000 00 km); stationing 50 m
7. Find lenghts of xm and xt :
1
x M = x PK - y PK   x PK - y PK . cot g  540 ,46 m
tg
y PK
 274,65m
sin 
st =

8. external distance of the curve:

y PK
 192,45m
cos
z=

9. Find the lenght of tangent T:

T x y .tg   875 ,82 m

pk pk
 CURVES COMPUTATION
PLAIN TRANSITION CURVES (CLOTHOID) - EXAMPLE:
Deflection angle of circular curve is αs = 70 2´20´´ with radius R = 650,00 m.
The beginning of stationing is in point TK (0,000 00 km); stationing 50 m
10. Find other coordinates (at points of stationing):

RECTANGULAR COORDINATES: stationing [m]

Rectangular coordinates
x[m] y[m]
Polar coordinates
[grad] lenght [m]
l n5 l n9 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.0000 0.00
x n = ln - 4
+ 8
;
40 A 3456 A 50.00 50.00 0.04 0.0514 50.00
100.00 100.00 0.32 0.2054 100.00
l n3 l n7 l n11
yn = - + ; 150.00 149.99 1.09 0.4623 150.00
6 A 4 336 A6 42240 A10 200.00 199.97 2.58 0.8218 199.99
250.00 249.91 5.04 1.2843 249.96
300.00 299.77 8.71 1.8499 299.90

POLAR COORDINATES: 350.00 349.51 13.82 2.5190 349.78

400.00 399.04 20.62 3.2923 399.57
yn 450.00 448.27 29.33 4.1707 449.23
tg  n = n
xn 500.00 497.08 40.17 5.1559 498.70
550.00 545.30 53.36 6.2498 547.91
xn yn 600.00 592.75 69.10 7.4554 596.77
tn = x n2  y n2 =  ;
cos  n sin  n 650.00 639.21 87.57 8.7765 645.18
700.00 684.41 108.92 10.2180 693.02
750.00 728.06 133.29 11.7865 740.16
794.56 765.39 157.61 13.2979 781.45point KP
 CURVES COMPUTATION
CIRCULAR ARCS WITH TRANSITION CURVES:
The most common way of designing is circular arc and symmetric clothoids on both
sides.
 – central angle of transition curve (clothoid)
 – central angle
o – central angle of circle arc (o =  - 2*)
R – radius of circle arc (circle of osculatory)
l – lenght of transition curve (clothoid)
T – lenght of tangent (T - xs = T´)
Zo – external of circle arc

S – middle of curve
∆R – shift between the circular arc (O)
and clothoid (L)
Xs – coordinate of the shifted TP (on
shifted circular curve)
xPK, yPK – coordinates
OO – lenght of circle arc
L – clothoid lenght
FORMULAS ARE COMBINATION FROM CIRCULAR AND
TRANSITION CURVES – FOLLOW STEPS AND
CALCULATING INSTRUCTION IN EXAMPLE 2
CURVES COMPUTATION
MATCHING: