ASURVEL: Plane Surveying Fieldwork/Laboratory

FIELDWORK NO. 5
SETTING UP SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS

1. Objective: To familiarize the students with the proper setting up of some of the surveying instruments. This
is a group activity.

2. Introduction: A level, wye or engineer’s level is specially made for leveling purposes. The engineer’s transit is an
instrument of precision used principally in the measurement of angles, both in horizontal and vertical directions,
prolongation of a line, measurement of distances, and for differential leveling. For its many uses, this instrument is
sometimes referred as the “Universal Instrument”. Leveling rods are used in conjunction with an instrument such as
transit or level to determine distances or differences in elevation. Theodolites (now also manufactured in Japan and
the United States) are European-style instruments characterized by three-screw leveling heads, optical plummets,
lightweight, with glass circles being read either directly or with the aid of a micrometer. In contrast with the American
engineer’s transit, most theodolites do not come with equipped with compasses or telescope levels. Instead of a
telescope level, theodolite telescopes can be “leveled” by means of a coincidence-type collimation level used in
conjunction with a horizontal setting the vertical circle. Most theodolites are equipped with a compensating device
that automatically indexes the horizontal direction when the vertical circle has been set to the horizontal setting of
90°.

3. Site: NU Campus
4. Instruments:
1 – Leveling Rod 1 - Engineer’s Level / Dumpy Level with Tripod
1 - Theodolite with Tripod
ASURVEL Fieldwork # 5: Setting Up Surveying
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5. Activity/ies

5.1. Setting up the engineer’s level:

Procedure:
1. Spread the tripod on the ground to a convenient height. Make it stable with the tripod head more or
less level and at the same time tightening the tripod wing nuts;
2. Remove the level from the box and place it on top of the tripod. Make a counter-clockwise or a
clockwise turn, depending on the orientation of the threads, until the threads are set properly
against each other; and
3. To level the instrument, bring the telescope over two opposite leveling screws and bring the bubble to
the center of the tube. Then turn the telescope until it is over the other pair of leveling screws
and bring the bubble to the center again. Repeat the procedure until the bubble does not leave
the center during the entire revolution of the telescope around the vertical axis.

5.2. Setting up the level rod for rod reading:

Procedure:
1. The rod shall be held as plumb as possible over the point;
2. The rod man looks for the signal of the instrument man for the proper setting of target. The rod man
uses the target screw and for accurate setting, the tangent screw and for accurate setting, the
tangent screw shall be used. At the signal of “all right”, the rod is read. In this case of a self-
reading rod, the instrument man takes the reading of the level rod without the target; and
3. In reading the rod, be sure to examine carefully the graduations and placements of the corresponding
equivalent number.

5.3. Setting up the engineer’s level over a point:

Procedure:
1. Spread the tripod on the ground to a convenient height with the center of the tripod head over the
point. Make it stable with the tripod head more or less level and at the same time tightening the
tripod wing nuts;
2. Take out the level from the box and place it over the tripod. With the lower clamp screw loosened, turn
the bottom plate of the instrument clockwise or counter-clockwise (depending on the
orientation of the thread) until the transit is fitted into the tripod head;
3. Place the plumb bob and set it over the point by either pressing the leg or legs of the tripod or by just
adjusting the shifting head which may be moved freely after two adjacent leveling screws are
loosened. The plumb bob shall be 1/8” high above the ground point;
4. When the t level has been set accurately over the point, the leveling screws should be brought back to
a bearing;
5. In leveling the level, place each plate level parallel to a pair of opposite leveling screws which are
parallel to it;
6. Take two opposite leveling screws between the thumbs and forefingers and turn them either toward
each other or away from each other;
7. After the bubble has been brought to the center of its tube, the other bubble is centered in the same
manner by a corresponding pair of leveling screws;
8. Repeat the centering of the first tube which may have gone of the center due to the centering of the
second bubble. Repeat also the centering of the second bubble, if necessary;
9. Check whether the plumb bob is still exactly above the point; and
10. Rotate the instrument 180: about the vertical axis. If the bubble goes out of the center, adjust the
leveling screws until the bubble is centered.

ASURVEL Fieldwork # 5: Setting Up Surveying

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5.4. Setting up the theodolite over a point:

Procedure:
1. Place the instrument over the point with the tripod plate as level as possible and with two tripod legs
on the downhill side, if applicable;
2. Stand back a pace or two and see if the instrument appears to be over the station; if it does not, adjust
the location, and check again from a pace or two away;
3. Move to a position 90° opposed to the original inspection location and repeat step 2. (Note: This simple
act of “eyeing in” the instrument from two directions, 90° opposed, takes only seconds but could
save a great deal of time in the long run;
4. Check to see that the station point can be seen through the optical plumb and then firmly push in the
tripod legs by pressing down on the tripod shoe spurs;
5. While looking through the optical plumb, manipulate the leveling screws (one, two, or all three at a
time) until the cross hair (bull’s-eye) of the optical plumb is directly on the station mark;
6. Now, level the theodolite circular bubble by adjusting the tripod legs up or down. This is accomplished
by noting which leg, when slid up or down, will move the circular bubble in into the bull’s-eye.
Upon adjusting the leg, the bubble will either move into the circle (the instrument is level), or it
will slide around until it is exactly opposite another tripod leg. That leg would then be adjusted
up or down until the bubble moved into the circle. If the bubble does not move into the circle,
adjust the leg until the bubble is directly opposite another leg and repeat the process. If this
manipulation has been done correctly, the bubble will be centered after the second leg has been
adjusted; it is seldom necessary to adjust the legs more than three times. Comfort can be taken
from the fact that these manipulations take less time to perform than they do to read about;
7. A check through the optical plumb will now confirm that its cross hairs (bull’s-eye) are still quite close
to being over the station mark;
8. The circular bubble is now exactly centered (if necessary) by turning one (or more) leveling screws;
9. The tripod clamp bolt is loosened a bit and the instrument is slid on the flat tripod top until the optical
plummet cross hairs (bull’s-eye) are exactly centered on the station mark. The tripod clamp bolt
is retightened and the circular bubble reset, if necessary. When sliding the instrument on the
tripod top, it is advisable not to twist the instrument, but to move it in a rectangular fashion; this
will ensure that the instrument will not go seriously off level if the tripod top itself is not close to
being level;
10. The instrument can now be precisely levelled by centering the tubular bubble. The tubular bubble is
set so that it is aligned in the same direction as two of the foot screws. These two screws can be
turned (together or independently) until the bubble is centered. The instrument is then turned
90°, at which point the tubular bubble will be aligned with the third leveling screw. That screw is
then turned to center the bubble. The instrument now should be level, although it is always
checked by turning the instrument through 180°;

ASURVEL Fieldwork # 5: Setting Up Surveying

Instruments
 ASURVEL: Plane Surveying Fieldwork/Laboratory

FIELDWORK NO. 4
SETTING UP SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS

Group No. Date Performed

Actual Site Time Started
Weather Condition Time Finished

Designation Peer Performance Evaluation

Group Members (1-lowest,10-highest; include remarks, e.g.
(In alphabetical order) Absent, Very Good, Good, etc.)

ACTIVITIY Objective Checked

5.1. Setting up the engineer’s level Bubble on center

5.2. Setting up the level rod for rod reading Rod Reading

5.3. Setting up the engineer’s level over a point Bubble on center

5.4 Setting up the theodolite over a point: Optical plummet centered

over the point

Tubular bubble on center

ASURVEL Fieldwork # 5: Setting Up Surveying

Instruments