Visayas State University

College of Engineering
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Baybay, Leyte
GEng 112
General Surveying II
Name: Joycelyn H. Uy
2012
Course and Year: BSCE-3

Date Performed: December 6,

Date Submitted: January 3, 2013

TRIANGULATION FOR A BRIDGE SITE

Laboratory Exercise No. 5
I.

Introduction:
The method of surveying called triangulation is based on the
trigonometric proposition that if one side and two angles of a triangle are
known, the remaining sides can be computed. Furthermore, if the direction
of one side is known, the directions of the remaining sides can be
determined. A triangulation system consists of a series of joined or
overlapping triangles in which an occasional side is measured and
remaining sides are calculated from angles measured at the vertices of
the triangles. The vertices of the triangles are known as triangulation
stations. The side of the triangle whose length is predetermined, is called
the base line. The lines of triangulation system form a network that ties
together all the triangulation stations.

II.

Objective(s):
1. To establish the control points for a low order triangulation
system (consisting of a single quadrilateral) needed to stake
out a site for a short-span bridge.
2. To learn how to apply the approximate method of adjusting a
quadrilateral and how to determine length of the bridge and
the lengths of other unknown sides of the quadrilateral.

III.

Instruments and Accessories:

Engineers Transit, Stadia rod, Chaining pins, and Hubs or Pegs

IV.

Procedure:
1. The two end points defining the length of a proposed (or
imaginary) bridge was established and two other points within
the vicinity of the bridge site in order to form a triangulation
figure in the shape of a quadrilateral. These points were called
A, B, C, and D with line AB defining the length and centerline of

the proposed bridge. Pegs or hubs were used to mark these

points.
2. Lines AD and BC were designated as the base line and check
base, respectively. Their respective lengths were measured
accurately twice and the mean measurements were recorded as
the actual length of each line.
3. The instrument was set up and leveled at A and each
horizontal angle about the station was measured in two
repetitions. The observed values were recorded accordingly.
4. In a similar process, the horizontal angles at stations D, B, and
C were also measured.
5. The observed and calculated values were then tabulated
accordingly.
V.

Results and Discussion:

Table 1. Data for Station Adjustment
STATION
A

ANGLE

MEASURED VALUE

1
2
3
SUM
4
5
6
SUM
7
8
9
SUM
10
11
12
SUM

2843520
603020
145420
3600000
2594500
153720
844820
3601040
2635520
771400
185620
3600540
2720400
194000
681400
3595800

CORRECTIO
N
0

- 3 33.33

- 1 53.33

40

SAMPLE CALCULATIONS:
In Station A:
Sum = 284o3520 + 60o3020 + 14o5420 = 360o
Discrepancy = 360 - 360o = 0
Correction = 0

ADJUSTED VALUE
2843520
603020
145420
3600000
2594126.67
153346.67
844446.66
3600000
2635326.67
77126.67
185426.66
3600000
2720440
194040
681440
3600000

Table 2. Data for Figure Adjustment

ADJUSTED
QUADRILATERAL
ANGLE
ANGLE FROM
STATION ADJ.
2
60o3020
3
14o5420
5
15o3346.67
ABCD
6
84o4446.67
8
77o126.67
9
18o5426.67
11
19o4040
12
68o1440
SUM
359o456.68

ADJUSTED
VALUE

CORRECTION

60o3211.67
14o5611.67
15o3538.34
84o4638.3
77o1358.34
18o5618.34
19o4231.67
68o1631.67
360

151.67

1453

SAMPLE COMPUTATIONS:
77o126.67

Sum = 60o3020 + 14o5420 + 15o3346.67 + 84o4446.67 +

+ 18o5426.67+ 19o4040 + 68o1440 = 359o456.68
Discrepancy = 360 - 359o456.68 = 1453
Error = 1453 / 8 = 151.67

Table 3. Data for Adjustment of Opposite Angles

ADJUSTED ANGLE
OPPOSITE ANGLE
FROM FIGURE
(computations)
ADJSUTMENT
Angle 2 =
2 + 6 = 12 + 8
60o3211.67
60o3211.67 + 84o4638.3 =
145o1849.97
Angle 3
o
o
68 1631.67 + 77o1358.34 =
=14 5611.67
145o3030.01
Angle 5 =
o
Error = 1140.04, corr = 255.01
15 3538.34
o
Angle 6 = 84 4638.3
Angle 8 =
3 + 11 = 5 + 9
77o1358.34
14o5611.67 + 19o4231.67 =
34o3843.34
Angle 9 =
o
o
15 3538.34+ 18o5618.34 =
18 5618.34
34o3156.68
Angle 11 =
o
Error = 646.66, corr = 141.67
19 4231.67
Angle 12 =
68o1631.67

ADJUSTMENT
VALUE
2

60o356.68

14o5430

15o3720

6
8

84o4933.31
77o113.33

18o5800

1
1
1
2

19o4050
68o1336.66

Table 4. Trigonometric Condition

ANGLE
Log Sin + 10
2

a
9.94006147
4

3
5

9.43022565
1
9.99822676
4
9.98904401
2

9
11

9.51190743
9
9.52734078
9

12
SUM

38.8866719
3

Correction

Adjusted
angle

1.1871

+56.841

60o363.52

7.9084

-56.841

7.5298

+56.841

0.1907

-56.841

0.479

+56.841

14o5333.16

15o3816.84

o
84 4836.45

77o120.17

6.1264

-56.841

18o573.16

5.8867

+56.841

0.841

-56.841

19o4146.84

68o1239.82

360O

b
9.41039479
2

Diff in 1

9.96785662
5
38.8883856
2

30.1491

SAMPLE COMPUTATIONS:
In Angle 2:
Log Sin<2 + 10
Log Sin(60o356.68) + 10 = 9.940061474
diff in 1 = [logsin(<2 + 1)]-[logsin(<2) + 10]
= [logsin(60o356.68 + 1)]-[logsin(60o356.68) + 10]
diff in 1 = 1.1871 x 10-6

For Correction:

Correction =

Correction = 56.841
DETERMINING THE LENGTH OF THE BRIDGE AND OTHER UNKNOWN SIDE:
Using the two (2) routes:
Route 1:
BC =
=
BC = 35.8749 m

Route 3:
BC =
=
BC = 35.8749 m
Therefore, the mean distance of BC is 35.8749 m.
RELATIVE PRESICION:
RP =

RP =

or

DISCUSSION:
Table 1 and 2 shows the station and figure adjustment, respectively. In
the first adjustment, all the observed horizontal angles about a station were
just added. The sum was then subtracted from 360 o. The difference was then
divided by the number of angles about the station. The resulting value is then
added algebraically to each angle in order to make the sum of all angles
about each station equal to 360o. While in the second adjustment, the sum of
the interior angles of the quadrilateral must be equal to (n-2)180 o, where n

represents the number of sides. In the third table, the opposite angles at the
intersection of the diagonals should be equal. The values of these angles
were previously adjusted in earlier adjustments and were compared and the
difference between them was divided by 4. The computed correction was
then added to smaller pair of angles and subtracted to the larger pair. In the
last table, it shows the trigonometric condition. It was satisfied by the means
of computations involving the sines of the angles. The angles were adjusted
so that the computed length of an unknown side opposite a known side will
be the same regardless of which of the four routes is used. In this manner,
route 1 and 3 were computed and its average will then represent as the
computed distance of BC or the check base.
VI.

Conclusion:
Therefore, the control points for a low order triangulation system
(consisting of a single quadrilateral) needed to stake out a site for a shortspan bridge was established. The application of the approximate method of
adjusting a quadrilateral was also learned, so as to determine the length of
the bridge and the lengths of other unknown sides of the quadrilateral.

VII.

Sketch:

VIII.

Reference(s):
http://surveying.wb.psu.edu/sur162/control/control.htm

http://www.icmsurveysystems.com/surveying_techniques.htm

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