PROFILE LEVELING

The process of determining differences in elevation along a fixed line at designated short
measured intervals is referred to as profile leveling.

Definition of terms:

1. Profile – the profile is the curved line which graphically portrays the intersection of a vertical plane
with the surface of the earth.

2. Stationing – a numerical designation given in terms of horizontal distance at any point along a profile
line is away from the starting point.

3. Intermediate foresights – these sights, which are also known as ground rod readings, are taken along
the centerline of the proposed project to provide an accurate representation of the ground surface.

4. Full Stations – are points which are established along the profile level route at uniformly measured
distances.

5. Plus Stations – any other intermediate point established along a profile level route which is not
designated as a full station is called a plus station.

6. Vertical Exaggeration – is a process of drawing the vertical scale for a profile much larger than the
horizontal scale in order to accentuate the difference in elevation.

7. Profile Paper – a special heavy grade graphing paper used for plotting profiles.

ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS:

1. Complete the following set of profile level notes and show the customary arithmetic check.

STA BS HI FS IFS ELEV

BMa 0.95 125.50 m
0 + 00 3.0
+ 10 2.3
TP1 3.13 0.64
0 + 22 2.7
+ 30.5 2.8
+ 34.2 3.1
+ 39.3 0.5
+ 42.5 0.8
TP2 2.16 1.28
0 + 45 0.9
+ 48.6 1.2
+ 50 1.7
+ 53.7 2.8
TP3 0.82 2.37
TP4 1.35 3.50
0 + 75 3.0
BMb 1.99