CHAIN

SURVEYING
PRINCIPLE OF CHAIN SURVEYING
• The basic principle of chain surveying is triangulation.
• It is to provide framework consisting of number of connected
triangles.
• Area to be surveyed is divided into various well conditioned triangles.
• Sides of triangle are to be measured by tape or a chain.
• Conditions for Chain Surveying:
• The ground surface should be more or less levelled
• Area to be surveyed is small
• Well conditioned triangles can be made
• Plans are required on a large scale.
• Well conditioned Triangle: A triangle is said to be well conditioned
triangle when it contains no angle smaller than 30º and no angle
greater than 120º.
• Survey Stations: A survey station is point of importance at the
beginning and end of a chain line. Stations are of two kinds (i) Main
Station, (ii) Tie Station. Main stations are the ends of the lines which
command the boundaries of the survey and the lines joining the main
stations are called main survey or chain lines. Tie stations are the
points selected on the main survey line where it is necessary to run
auxiliary lines to locate interior details such as fences, buildings etc.
• Base lines: The longest of the chain lines used in making a survey
line is generally regarded as the base line. It is the most important
line. Various survey stations are plotted with reference to this base
line.
• Check lines: Also termed as proof lines is a line joining the apex of
triangle to some fixed point on the side opposite. It is used to check
the accuracy of the work.
• Tie lines: A line joining subsidiary stations or tie stations on the
main line.
• Offsets: lateral measurements taken from an object to a chain line. In
a survey the positions of the details such as boundaries, buildings,
fences, roads etc are located with respect to the chain lines by means
of lateral measurements. There are two kinds of offsets:
• Perpendicular Offset
• Oblique Offsets.
 OBSTACLES IN CHAINING
• A chain line may be interrupted by the following reasons:
• When chaining is free but vision is obstructed
• When chaining is obstructed but vision is free
• Both chaining and vision is obstructed
CHAINING FREE, VISION OBSTRUCTED
• Such situation arises when a rising ground or a jungle area interrupts
the chain line and end station are not visible.
• When end stations are visible from some intermediate station,
reciprocal ranging is done and chaining is done by stepping method.
CHAINING OBSTRUCTED BUT VISION FREE
• When a pond or a river crosses the chain line.
• Case 1: when a pond interrupts the chain line, it is possible to go
around the obstruction.
• Case 2: It is not possible to go around the obstruction.
CASE 2
WHEN END STATIONS ARE NOT VISIBLE
FROM INTERMEDIATE POINTS
 FIELD BOOK
• The book on which the survey work is recorded by measurements
and sketches is called field book.
• The size of the field book is 20cm X 12cm.
• There are two forms of field book:
• Single Line
• Double Line
• Single Line: a single red line is ruled down the middle of each page
and represents the survey or chain line. On this line are written the
distances along the chains lines while the offsets are written opposite
to them.
• Double Line Field Book: It is similar to single line but
instead of single lines two blue lines of about 1.25-1.5cm
apart are ruled at the centre of the page. In this column,
which represents the chain line are entered the chainage.
 FIELD WORK EQUIPMENTS
• 20m chain
• 10 arrows
• Ranging rods and offset rods
• Instruments for setting right angles
• Field book
• Plumb Bob
• Pegs, chalk etc.