CHAPTER 2:

BASIC GEOMETRIC
CONSTRUCTION
MEC 132 – ENGINEERING DRAWING

MEC132: CHAPTER 2 1
CONTENTS
• 2.1 Line: straight, parallel, perpendicular, inclined and
geometrical constructions involving lines
• 2.2 Angles: measurement, transfer and division of angles
• 2.3 Triangle, rectangle & polygon and its construction.
• 2.4 Circle, curve and tangent: drawing and joining line and curves
• 2.5 Construction of ellipses, parabolas and hyperbola
• 2.6 Construction of cycloids an involutes

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 To draw a line parallel to a given line at a
given distance from it
AB is the given line, and c
is the given distance
1. From any two points
well apart on AB,
draw two arcs of
radius equal to e.
2. Draw a line tangential
to the two arcs to give
the required line.

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 To draw a line parallel to a given line through
a given point
AB is the given line, and P is the
point
1. From P, and with radius a
little less than AP, draw an
arc to cut AB at D.
2. With center D and radius
DP, describe an arc to cut
AB at E.
3. With center D and radius
EP, mark off DF.
4. Join FP to give the required
line.
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 To draw a perpendicular from the end of a line

AB is the given line

1. With centre B and radius less
than AB, describe an arc to
intersect AB at C.
2. From C, and with the same
radius, mark off D; from D,
and with same radius, mark
off E.
3. From D and E describe any
two equal arcs to intersect at
F.
4. Join BF to give the required
perpendicular.
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 To draw a perpendicular from point in a line
AB is the given line, and C is
the point on it
1. With centre C and any
radius, describe equal
arcs to cut AB at E and F.
2. From E and F describe
equal arcs to intersect at
D.
3. Join CD to give the
required perpendicular.

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 To construct an angel equal to a given angle

ABC is the given angle,

1. Draw a line EF
2. With centers B and E, describe two equal arcs.
3. Transfer the arc length from angle ABC to the arc drawn from E
to give point D.
4. Join E to D, and produce to give the required angle.

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 To bisect a given angel
ABC is the given angle,
1. From B describe an arc to cut AB and BC at E and D
respectively.
2. With centers E and D, draw equal arcs to intersect at F.
3. Join BF, the required bisector of the angle.

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 To divide a line into any number of
equal parts, say six
AB is the given line,
1. Draw AC at an angel of approximately 30° to AB.
2. Using dividers, mark along AC six equal lenghts, each
approximately equal to one-sixth of AB.
3. Join the sixth mark, D on AC, to B.
4. Using sliding set squares, draw lines parallel to DB from the
points of division on AC to intersect AB and give the
required points of division.

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 To construct a regular pentagon on a given
line
AB is the given line,
1. Bisect AB at C.
2. Erect a perpendicular at B
(construction 5), and mark off BD
equal to AB.
3. With C as center and radius CD,
describe and arc to intersect AB
produced at E.
4. From A and B, and with radius AE,
describe arcs to intersect at F.
5. With radius AB and center A, B and F,
describe arcs to intersect at G and h.
6. Join FG, GA, FH and HB to complete
the pentagon.
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 To construct a regular hexagon on a given line
AB is the given line,
1. From A and B, and with radius
AB, draw two equal arcs to
intersect at O.
2. With radius OA or OB and
center O, draw a circle.
3. From A or B, using the same
radius, step off arcs around the
circle at C, D, E and F.
4. Join these points to complete
the hexagon.

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 To construct a regular polygon, say heptagon
on a given line

AB is the given line,

1. Bisect AB at C.
2. Along the bisector mark off C4 equal to AC.
3. With center A and radius AB, describe an arc to intersect the
bisector at 6.
4. Bisect distance 4 – 6 to give 5.
5. Add distance 4 – 5 to 6 to give 7 and so on. These points are the
centres of circles around which AB will step that number af times.
6. With center 7 and radius 7A, describe a circle. Step AB around
seven times and join the points to give a heptagon.
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 To draw a curve tangential to three
intersecting lines
AB, BC and CD are three intersecting straight lines, and P is the point
of tangency of the required curve.
1. Make BE equal to BP and CF equal to CP.
2. Erect perpendiculars at E, P and F to intersect at O and R.
3. With centre O and radius OE, describe arc EP.
4. With center R and radius RF, describe arc FP to complete the
curve.

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 To draw an arc tangential to two arcs
(externally)
A and B are the centres of the given arcs of radii a and b respectively;
c is the external
arc radius
1. From centres A and B, describe two arcs of radii a + c and b + c
respectively to intersect at C.
2. With center C and radius c, describe an arc which will be
tangential to the given arcs.

E and F are the points of tangency of the three arcs.

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 The Ellipse
 An ellipse is a closed symmetrical curve with a changing diameter which varies between
maximum and minimum length. These two lengths are known as the major axis and minor
axis respectively. The lengths of the axes may vary greatly, and it is upon their relative sizes
that the shape of the ellipse depends.

 An ellipse may be defined geometrically as the curve traced out by a point (P) which moves
so that the sum of its distances from two fixed points ( F and F’ ) is constant and equal in
length to the major axis.

 In Figure 2.10, AB is the major axis, CD is the minor axis, and F and F’ are the focal points.
From the definition of an ellipse,
FP + PF’ = AB

 The definition also leads to a construction for finding the focal points, F and F’, when only
the axes are given, because as C is a point on the curve,
CF + CF’ = AB

 Now CF and CF’ are equal, and each is equal to half the major axis AB. therefore by placing
the major and minor axes so that they bisect each other at right angles and taking a radius
MEC132: equal
CHAPTER 2 to half AB from C or D, the focal points F and F’ are obtained. 15
 Definition of the ellipse geometry

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 To draw an ellipse by the concentric circles
method, given the major and minor axes
1. Draw two concentric circles having diameters AB and CD
equal to the major axis of the ellipse respectively.
2. Divide the circles into twelve equal parts with either
compasses or 60° - 30° set squares.
3. Draw perpendicular lines from points of division on the
outside circle to intersect horizontal lines drawn from
corresponding points of division on the inside circle.
4. Draw a smooth curve through these points of intersection
together with points A, B, C and D to give the required
ellipse.

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 To draw an ellipse by the intersecting arcs
method, given the major and minor axes
1. Draw the major and minor axes, AB and CD , to bisect each other right angles.
2. With centre C or D and radius equal to half AB, describe arcs to cut AB at F and
F’. These are the focal points of the ellipse.
3. Select points 1 and 2 between F and the centre of the ellipse. Place point 1 fairly
close to F.
4. With radius of length A1 and centre F and F’, describe four arcs, one in each
quadrant of the ellipse.
5. With radius of length B1 and centre F and F’, describe four more arcs to
intersect the arcs found in step 4 to give points 1’ in each quadrant.
6. Similarly obtain points 2’.
7. Prick the points of intersection of the arcs with a compass point and then erase
the arcs for the sake of tidiness.
8. Draw a smooth curve through these points to give the required ellipse.

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 To draw an ellipse by the rectangular method

1. Draw the major and minor axes, AB and CD , to bisect

each other right angles at O.
2. Draw a rectangle EFGH of length AB and width CD.
3. Divide AO and AE into four equal parts.
4. Join C to the points of division on AE.
5. Join D to the points of division on AO, and produce these
lines to meet C1, C2 and C3 to give three points on the
ellipse.
6. Using horizontal and vertical ordinates from these points,
obtain three points in each of the three quadrants.
7. Draw a freehand curve through these points to give the
required ellipse.

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 END OF
CHAPTER 2
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