Distance

Measurement
ENGR. CHRISTIAN N. ASPIRAS
 12 km
Cool-Down 12 km
x
𝐴2
𝐴1

A triangular piece of land Solution:

has one side measuring 12 𝐴1 = 𝐴2 = 𝐴
km. The land is to be
divided into two equal Since the small and big
areas by a dividing line triangles are similar:
parallel to the given side. 𝐴𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙
=
𝑥 2
What is the length of the 𝐴𝑏𝑖𝑔 12
dividing line? 𝐴 𝑥 2
=
2𝐴 12
𝑥 = 8.485 km
Distance Measuring Techniques

• Pacing
• Odometer
• Distances Obtained from Positioning
Techniques
• Electronic Distance Measurement
(EDM)
Other Indirect Measuring Techniques

• Stadia
• Subtense bar
Taping
STEEL TAPES
Taping Accessories
• Plumb bob
• Hand level
Taping Corrections:
Systematic Slope Correction
• Slope can also be expressed as a
gradient, or rate of grade.
• The gradient is expressed as a
ratio of the vertical distance
over the horizontal distance,
the same ratio
(opposite/adjacent) which
defines the tan of the vertical
angle θ
Example: Systematic Slope Correction

• A road center line ℄ gradient falls from station 0 + 00,

𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 564.22 𝑓𝑡, to station 1 + 50 at a rate of −2.5%. What
is the ℄ elevation at station 1 + 50?

• Solution:
−2.5
𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 150 × = −3.75
100
𝐸𝑙𝑒𝑣. @ 𝑠𝑡𝑎. 1 + 50 = 564.22 − 3.75 = 560.47 𝑓𝑡
Knowledge Check:
Systematic Slope Correction
• A road runs from station 1 + 00, 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 471.37 𝑓𝑡, to
station 4 + 37.25, 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 476.77 𝑓𝑡. What is the slope of
the ℄ grade line?

• Solution:
𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 476.77 − 471.37 = +5.40
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 437.25 − 100 = 337.25
𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 = +5.40/337.25 × 100 = +1.60%
Taping Corrections:
Erroneous Tape Length Corrections
• Through extensive use, tapes do become kinked and
stretched, and in need of repair. The length can become
something other than that specified. When this occurs, the
tape must be corrected, or the measurements taken with
the erroneous tape must be corrected.
Example:
Erroneous Tape Length Corrections
A measurement was recorded as 171.278 m with a 30-m tape that was only
29.996 m under standard conditions. What is the corrected measurement?

Solution:
𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ = −0.004
171.278
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 = =
30
171.278
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = −0.004 × = − 0.023 𝑚
30
𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 171.278 − 0.023 = 171.255 𝑚
𝑜𝑟
29.996
= × 171.278 = 171.255 𝑚
30
Knowledge Check :
Erroneous Tape Length Corrections
You must lay out the side of a building, a distance of
210.08 𝑓𝑡. The tape to be used is known to be 100.02 𝑓𝑡
under standard conditions. Compute the total correction.

Solution:
𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ = 0.02 𝑓𝑡
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 = 2.1008
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 0.02 × 2.1008 = +0.04 𝑓𝑡
Taping Corrections:
Temperature Correction
• Temperature correction: to be added or subtracted

𝑪𝒕 = 𝑲 𝑻𝟐 − 𝑻𝟏 𝑳𝟏

𝐶𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 𝐾 = 0.00000645 𝑓𝑡. 𝑝𝑒𝑟 °𝐹

𝐶𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 𝐾 = 0.0000116 𝑚 𝑝𝑒𝑟 °𝐶
𝑇1 = 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝. 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝐿1
In U.S. & most countries, tapes are standardized at 68°F, or 20°C.
Temperatures other than standard, result in an erroneous tape length.
𝑇2 = 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝. 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
Example: Temperature Correction

A distance was recorded as being 471.37 𝑓𝑡 at a

temperature of 38 °𝐹. What is the distance when corrected
for temperature?

Solution:
𝐶𝑡 = 0.00000645(38 − 68)471.37 = − 0.09
𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 471.37 − 0.09 = 471.28 𝑓𝑡
Knowledge Check:
Temperature Correction
You must lay out two points in the field that will be exactly
100.000 𝑚 apart. Field conditions indicate that the temperature
of the tape is 27 °𝐶. What distance will be laid out?

Solution:
𝐶𝑡 = 0.0000116(27 − 20)100.000 = +0.008 𝑚
Because this is a layout (precorrection) problem, the correction
sign must be reversed. In other words, we are looking for the
distance that, when corrected by +0.008, will give us 100.000 𝑚:
𝐿𝑎𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 100.000 − 0.008 = 99.992 𝑚.
 Taping Corrections:
Tension and Sag Correction
• Pull correction (to be added or subtracted) • Sag correction (to be subtracted only)

𝑃2 − 𝑃1 𝐿1 𝑤 2 𝐿3 𝑊 2 𝐿
𝐶𝑝 = 𝐶𝑠 = =
𝐴𝐸 24𝑃2 24𝑃2

𝑃2 = 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤 = 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑏/𝑖𝑛2 𝑜𝑟 𝑘𝑔/𝑐𝑚2

𝑃1 = 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛. 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝐿1 𝑊 = 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑏 𝑜𝑟 𝑘𝑔
𝐴 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝐿 = 𝑢𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒
𝐸 = 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑝 = 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑
For steel tape:
𝑙𝑏 𝑘𝑔
𝐸 = 29 × 106 𝑖𝑛2 = 21 × 105 𝑐𝑚2 = 20 × 1010 𝑁/𝑚2
Example: Tension and Sag Correction

A 30-m tape is used with a 100-N Solution:

force, instead of the standard 100 − 50 × 30
tension of 50 N. If the cross- 𝐶𝑝 =
0.02 × 21 × 105 × 9.807
sectional area of the tape is
0.02 𝑐𝑚2 , what is the tension error 𝐶𝑝 = +0.0036 𝑚
per tape length?
If a distance of 182.716 𝑚 had 182.716
been measured under these 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑝 = × 0.0036
conditions, the total correction 30
would be?
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑝 = +0.022 𝑚

The corrected distance would be:

= 182.716 𝑚 + 0.022
= 182.738 𝑚
Knowledge Check:
Tension and Sag Correction
Calculate the length between Solution:
two supports if the recorded
length is 50.000 𝑚, the mass of 1.63 × 9.807 2 × 50.000
𝐶𝑠 = −
the tape is 1.63 𝑘𝑔 , and the 24 × 1002
applied tension is 100 𝑁.
𝐶𝑠 = −0.053 𝑚

Therefore, the length between supports

= 50.000 − 0.053
= 49.947 𝑚