Surveying

Chapter Three
COMPASS TRAVERSING
Dept Of CIVIL ENGINEERING
 SYLLABUS
UNIT TOPIC

3 Compass Survey
3.1 Principle of Compass Survey.
Bearing of lines – Meridian –True, Magnetic, and Arbitrary.
Bearing –fore bearing, Back bearing, Whole circle bearing,
Quadrantal bearing system and Reduced bearing,
Conversion of bearings, finding included angles from
bearings.
3.2 Prismatic Compass – Component, construction and use.
Local attraction, Causes, precautions to be taken to avoid
and correction of bearings affected due to local attraction,
calculation of included angles.
3.3 Traversing – open traverse, closed traverse, check on open
and closed traverse. Graphical adjustment for closing error.
3.4 Numerical problems on calculation of Bearings, Angles and
local attraction.
Objectives:
• Use the survey instruments.
• Take linear and angular measurements.
• Measure the area of land.
• Prepare layouts and maps.
• Set out alignments for roads, railways,
canals, pipelines, tunnels etc.
• Prepare contour map.
• Compute area and volume from given
contour map. 3
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING

COMPASS SURVEY…
• In order to get the location
of a point in
surveying on, above or below
the surface
of the earth, it is necessary to
know its
distances from a point / station
along a line
whose direction is known.
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING
Fundamental Concepts
The direction of a line is defined by a horizontal
angle with respect to a reference line. Depending
on the type of reference, the direction of the line is
termed as relative or absolute. In relative direction,
the reference line does not remain fixed over time.
• Meridian
The reference line with respect to which
horizontal angle of survey line are measured is
known as meridian. There are different types of
meridians based on the type of reference.
 True Meridian
 Magnetic Meridian
 Grid Meridian
 Arbitrary Meridian
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True Meridian
• The true meridian is the (imaginary) line of
intersection of a (imaginary) plane passing
through the geographical North and South poles
of the earth with its actual surface.
• The direction of true meridian at any station is
constant and hence, direction of a line with
reference to this remains same over time.
• At any station, it can be determined through
Astronomical survey. For any engineering works
of importance, the direction of at least one line is
determined with true meridian as reference.
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING
Magnetic Meridian
• The magnetic meridian at a station on surface of the
earth is the (imaginary) line of intersection of a
(imaginary) plane passing through the magnetic
North and South poles of the earth with its actual
surface.
• The direction of a freely suspended well balanced
magnetic needle provides the magnetic meridian at
a station.
• As the magnetic poles of the earth changes with
time and so the magnetic meridian at any station.
Thus, the direction of a line with reference to
magnetic meridian varies with time. Magnetic
meridian is employed as a line of reference for rough
surveys.
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Meridians……..
• Convergence of meridian : Meridians on the
surface of the earth converge towards each other as
the distance from the equator towards either of the
poles increases.
• Arbitrary Meridian
Any convenient direction from a survey station to
some well defined permanent object is known as
arbitrary meridian. This is used for small area survey
or to determine the relative directions of small
traverse.
• Relative Direction
The direction of a line is expressed in different
ways depending upon the type of survey. It is
depicted by bearing, included angle, deflection angle
etc. These quantities may be observed directly in the
field or can be obtained indirectly by computation.
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING
Bearing
• The horizontal angle
measured in clockwise or
anticlockwise direction
between the meridian and the
survey line is termed as
bearing. Different types of
bearings are defined based on
different criteria.
 Based on meridian
Azimuth or True Bearing,
Magnetic Bearing, Grid Bearing,
Arbitrary Bearing
 Based on direction:
Fore Bearing, Back Bearing
 Based on disignation
Whole circle bearing, Quadrant
bearing (or Reduced bearing)
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Azimuth or True Bearing

• The azimuth or true bearing of a
line is its horizontal angle from
the North direction of the true
meridian measured clockwise.

• In Figure 19.2, azimuth of a line

OA is given by NOA (= 52°),
measured from the North
(Geographical) and that of line
OB is NOB (= 208°).
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Magnetic Bearing
• The horizontal angle
which a line makes with
the magnetic meridian
measured from
Magnetic North line is
called magnetic
bearing. It varies with
time. Magnetic meridian
of a line can be
measured in the field by
using prismatic
compass (Figure 19.3).
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Arbitrary Bearing
The horizontal angle of a line measured with
respect to an arbitrary meridian is called arbitrary
bearing.
• Based on the Direction
Any straight line has two diametrically opposite
directions. The direction in which a survey work
proceeds is known as forward direction and the
opposite direction is known as backward direction.
Thus, there are two types of bearing depending
upon the direction of the line for which it is being is
determined.
• Fore Bearing
• Back Bearing
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Fore bearing

• The bearing of a line

measured in the forward
direction (i.e., along the
progress of survey) is
known as fore bearing.

• In Figure fore bearing of the

line AB is given by NOB.
• Fore bearing = Back bearing ± 180°
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING

Back Bearing
• The bearing of a line
measured in the backward
direction (i.e., opposite to the
direction of progress of
survey) is known as back
bearing.
• In Figure 19.5 the back
bearing of the line AB is NOA
(= 223°). NOA is also called
bearing of the line BA.

• Back Bearing = Fore Bearing ± 180

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Designation of Bearing
• The angle representing bearing is designated
depending on the measurement of the angle
either in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction
measured either from the North or from the
South limb whichever provides minimum angle.

• Whole circle bearing

• Quadrantal bearing (or Reduced bearing)

SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING

The whole circle bearing (W.C.B)

• The whole circle
bearing (W.C.B) of a
line is the horizontal
angle measured
clockwise from the
North limb of the
meridian. It varies
from 0° to 360°.
• In Figure 19.6, The
whole circle bearing
(W.C.B) of the line OA
is 52° and that of line
OB is 208°.
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Quadrantal Bearing (or Reduced Bearing)
The quadrantal bearing (Q.B.) also known as reduced bearing
(RB) of a line is defined by the acute angle which the line
makes with the meridian. Thus, it depends on the quadrant in
which the line presents. It is measured in clockwise or anti-
clockwise direction either from the North or from the South
limb of the meridian whichever is nearer and thus provides
minimum angle.
The quadrantal bearings of different lines OP, OQ, OR and
OS are respectively, can be given as N 40°E, S49° E, S72° W,
and N31° W. In all cases, values of bearing of angles lie
between 0° and 90°.
Thus, reduced bearing of a line is designated by the direction
from which it is measured (i.e., either N for North or S for
South) followed by the value of the angle at the end, the
direction to which it is measured (i.e., either E for East or W for
West).
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Conversion of RB to WCB
Quadrant Line QB or RB WCB

I OA Nq1° E q1

II OB Sq2° E 180° - q1

III OC Sq3° W 180° + q3

IV OD Nq4° W. 360° - q4
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Conversion of WCB to RB

Quadrant Line WCB RB

.
I OA 0° ≤ q1 ≤ 90° Nq1° E

II OB 90° ≤ q2 ≤ 180° S (180 -q2)° E

III OC 180° ≤ q3 ≤ 270° S (q3 -180)° W

IV OD 270° ≤ q4 ≤ 360° N (360 -q4)° W

SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING
Local Attraction
• In presence of magnetic materials, the magnetic needle
deviates from the magnetic meridian and thus provides
wrong direction of a line. The deviation arising from such
local sources is called local attraction. If the fore bearing
and back bearing of a line does not differ by 180°, then
there is a possibility of local attraction during the
observation of the line. Otherwise, if the sum of the
interior angles of a closed traverse does not provide (2n -
4) right angles [where n is the number of sides in the
traverse], then there is a possibility of local attraction
during the observation of the traverse.
• Determination of Angles/ Directions.
Direction and thus angles can be determined by means of
a tape, plane-table, alidade, sextant, or compass etc but
normally these are measured with a transit theodolite. In
this module, measurement of angles using theodolite has
been considered.
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING
Ex19-2 Following are the observed magnetic bearings of the traverse
legs:
At what stations local attraction is suspected? Determine the correct
bearings of the traverse legs and also calculate the included angles.
Line AB BC CD DA

FB (RB) S 59° 30' E N 78° 15' E N 59° 30' W S 30° 15' W

BB (WCB) 300° 30' 256° 00' 125° 15' 12° 45'

The FB of the lines are given in reduced
bearing. Their equivalent WCB are
FB
Line RB
RB WCB
AB S 59° 30' E 120° 30' W 300° 30'
BC N 78° 15' E 78° 15' 256° 00'
N 59° 30'
CD 300° 30' 125° 15'
W
DA S 30° 15' W 207° 45' 27° 45'
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING
• The FB and BB of any line differs exactly by 180°, if the stations
are free from local attraction. In the given observation, the FB and
BB of the line AB differs by 180° and thus stations A and B are
free from local attraction. The bearing of the lines observed at
stations A and B may be considered to be correct.
• Given, FB of BC = 78° 15'
• Therefore Correct, BB of BC = 78° 15' + 180° = 258° 15'
• But, observed BB of BC = 256° 00'
• Therefore Error at C = 258° 15' - 256° 00' = - 2°15'
• Correction at C = 2° 15'
• Observed FB of CD = 300° 30'
• Correction at C = + 2° 15'
• Therefore corrected FB of CD = 302° 45' - 180° = 122° 45'
• and corrected BB of CD = 125° 15'
• Error at D = + 2° 30'
• or Correction at D = - 2° 30'
• observed FB of DA = 210° 15'
• Therefore corrected FB of DA = 210° 15' - 2° 30' = 207° 45'
• and corrected BB of DA = 207° 45' - 180° = 27° 45' (Checked)
 COMPASS TRAVERSING
• Included angle
As the traverse is running anti-clockwise the included angle will be the
interior angles.
Angle at A = F.B. of AB - B.B. of DA = 120° 30' -27° 45' = 92° 45'
B = F.B of BC - B.B of AB = 78° 15' - 300° 30' = - 222° 15' + 360° = 137°
45'
C = F.B of CD - B.B of BC = 300° 30' - 256° 00' = 44° 30'
D = F.B of DA - B.B of CD = 210° 15' - 125° 15' = 85° 00'
• Calculation of Bearing (2nd method)
Bearing of the line AB = 120° 30' (correct)
B = 137° 45'
Bearing of the line BC = 258° 15' - 180° = 78° 15' (since traverse is anti-
clockwise)
C = + 44° 30'
122° 45'
Bearing of the line CD = 122° 45' + 180° = 302° 45'
D = + 85° 00'
387° 45'
Bearing of CD = 387° 45' - 180° = 207° 45'
A = + 92° 45'
300° 30'
Bearing of AB = 300 30' - 180 = 120 30' (checked)
SURVEYING COMPASS TRAVERSING

Line Corrected FB Corrected RB

AB 120° 30' 300° 30'
BC 78° 15' 258° 15'
CD 302° 45' 122° 45'
DA 207° 45' 27° 45'

Line FB BB Angle
AB 120° 30' 300° 30' A = 92° 45'
BC 78° 15' 258° 15' B =137° 45'
CD 302° 45' 122° 45' C = 44° 30'
DA 207° 45' 27° 45' D = 85°

[Note : In any traverse, running anti-clockwise, included angle

at any stations = F.B. of the forward line - B.B. of the backward
line].
 References:
• Surveying and Levelling
N. N. Basak
• Surveying and Levelling Part I and II
T .P. Kanetkar &
S. V.Kulkarni
• Text book of Surveying
S.K.Husain
M.S. Nagaraj
THE END…