PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY – URDANETA CAMPUS

Module in CE 211-ENGINEERING SURVEYS Module No. 16

TOPIC OUTLINE L2 = length of second chord

T1 + T2 = length of common
tangent measured from V1 to V2
A. Reversed Curve

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. To be able to learn,
compute and design roads
using reversed curves.

2. To be able to learn the

terminologies being used
in reversed curves.
Finding the stationing of PT

OVERVIEW Given the Stationing of PC

Sta PT=Sta PC+Lc1+Lc2

In civil engineering, a reverse Given the stationing of V1

curve (or "S" curve) is a Sta PT=Sta V1−T1+Lc1+Lc2
section of the horizontal
Reversed Curve for Nonparallel
alignment of a highway or
Tangents
railroad route in which a curve
to the left or right is
The following figure is an
followed immediately by a curve
example reversed curves of
in the opposite direction.
unequal radii connecting non-
parallel tangents.
REVERSED CURVE AND
TERMINOLOGIES

PC = point of curvature
PT = point of tangency
PRC = point of reversed
curvature
T1 = length of tangent of the
first curve
T2 = length of tangent of the
second curve
V1 = vertex of the first curve
V2 = vertex of the second curve
I1 = central angle of the first Reversed Curve for Parallel
curve Tangents
I2 = central angle of the
second curve The figure below is an example
Lc1 = length of first curve of reversed curves of unequal
Lc2 = length of second curve radii connecting two parallel
L1 = length of first chord roads.
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PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY – URDANETA CAMPUS
Module in CE 211-ENGINEERING SURVEYS
Four types of reversed curve
problems:
1. Reversed curve with equal
radii and parallel
tangents
2. Reversed curve with
unequal radii and parallel
tangents
3. Reversed curve with radii
and converging tangents
4. Reversed curve with
unequal radii and
converging tangents
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Problem. Two parallel tangents
10m apart are connected by a
reversed curve. The chord
length from the PC to the PT
equals 120m.
a) Compute the length of
tangent with common
direction
b) Determine the equal radius
of the reversed curve.
c) Compute the stationing of
the PRC if the stationing
of A at the beginning of
the tangent with common
direction is 3+420.
Problem. A reverse curve has a
radius of the curve passing
through the P.C. equal to 200m
and that of the second curve
passing through the P.T. is
Module No. 16
460m long. If the central angle
of curve is 12°.
a) Find the perpendicular
distance between the two
parallel tangents.
b) If the stationing of the
P.C. is 2+360.20, find the
stationing of the P.R.C.
c) Find the stationing of the
P.T.
Problem. Two tangents converge
at an angle of 30°. The
direction of the second tangent
is due due east. The distance
of the PC from the second
tangent is 116.50m. The bearing
of the common tangent is S 40°
E.
a) Compute the central angle
of the first curve.
b) If a reversed curve is to
connect these two
tangents, determine the
common radius of the
curve.
c) Compute the stationing of
the PT if PC is at station
10+620.
Problem. Two converging
tangents have azimuth of 300°
and 90° respectively, while that
of the common tangent is 320°.
The distance from the point of
intersection of the tangents to
the P.I. of the second curve is
100m while the stationing of
the P.I. of the first curve is
10+432.24. If the radius of the
first curve is 285.40.
a) Compute the radius of the
second curve.
b) Determine the stationing
of P.R.V.
c) Determine the stationing
of P.T.
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PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY – URDANETA CAMPUS
Module in CE 211-ENGINEERING SURVEYS Module No. 16

Prepared by:
SUMMARY
ENGR. ELMAR T. ANTOLIN
A reverse curve is composed of Faculty, Civil Engineering
two or more Department
simple curves turning in College of Engineering and
opposite directions. Architecture
Their points of intersection
lie on opposite
ends of a common tangent, and
the PT of the
first curve is coincident with
the PC of the
second. This point is called
the point of
reverse curvature (PRC).

Reverse curves are useful when

laying out
such things as pipelines,
flumes, and levees.
The surveyor may also use them
on low-speed roads and
railroads. They cannot be used
on high-speed roads or
railroads since they cannot be
properly super elevated at the
PRC.

They are sometimes used on

canals, but only
with extreme caution, since
they make the canal difficult
to navigate and contribute to
erosion.

REFERENCES

https://mathalino.com/reviewer/
surveying-and-transportation-
engineering/problem-03-simple-
curve