Engineering Drawing N1

Module 4
Geometrical Construction
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, learners will be able to:

 To do basic geometrical construction

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Introduction

The origin of geometry is said to have begun around 3000BC in Egypt. Early Egyptians used
a form of geometry to survey land, construct pyramids, and do astronomy. As their
knowledge grew, they constructed pyramids with four triangular faces and a square base.
Geometry then arose independently in several early cultures to deal with lengths, areas, and
volumes.

"Construction" in geometry is accurately drawing shapes, angles, or lines. You will need
paper, a sharpened pencil, a ruler for straight lines and a compass to draw arcs and circles.

Definitions:
Bisect – To cut in two.
Perpendicular – To meet at or intersect at 90°
Right Angle – A 90° angle
Acute Angle – An angle which is less than 90°
Obtuse Angle – An angle which is more than 90°
Intersect- To pass or cross each other

Side Bar

What is Parallax Error?

Parallax error occurs when the measurement of an object's length is more or less than the true
length because of your eye being positioned at an oblique angle to the measurement markings.

How to prevent Parallax Error?

Orient your line of sight directly above the measurement marking on the ruler so that an imaginary
vertical line connects your eye, the ruler, and the object.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to do basic geometric construction:

4. Bisecting

4.1. Bisecting a line segment: This means finding the mid-point of the line by crossing it
with another line at 90° or perpendicular.

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Step 1: Draw a line segment and label A and B.
Step 2: Using a compass, draw an arc with a radius of more than half of the line from point
B.
Step 3: Using the same radius, draw an arc from point A, making sure the two arcs
intersect.
Step 4: Draw a line joining the intersections of the two arcs.

4.2. Bisecting an angle: Cutting an existing angle in exactly half.

Step1: Label the existing angle ABC, making B the angle to be cut in half.
Step2: Draw an arc from point B, cut the two lines and label 1 and 2.
Step3: From points 1 and 2, draw arcs that would intersect each other and label point 3.
Step4: Draw a line from B to 3. This line cuts angle B in half.

4.3. Constructing perpendicular lines from different points:

i. Constructing a perpendicular line from a given point on a line.

Step 1: Label line AB and the given point 1.

Step 2: From point 1, draw arcs with the same radius cutting the line on the two sides and
label 3 and 4.
Step 3: From point 3, use a radius past the given point to draw an arc. From point 4, do the
same with the same radius until both arcs cross and label point 5.
Step 4: Draw a line from point 5 to the given point. This line should be perpendicular to the
given point.

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 ii. Construct a perpendicular from a given point, not on the line.

Step1: Label the line segment AB and the given point 1.

Step2: From point 1, draw an arc cutting line AB in two points and label 2 and 3.
Step3: From points 2 and 3, draw arcs that would intersect each other and label
4.
Step4: Draw a line from point 1 to point 4. This line should be perpendicular to line AB.

iii. Construct a perpendicular line at the end of a line.

Step1: Label the line segment AB. Then mark a point above the line and label point
1.
Step2: Using the radius from point 1 to point A, draw an arc to cut line AB and label this
point 2.
Step3: Draw a line from point 2 to 1, extend it to touch the arc, and label point 3.
Step4: Draw a line from point 3 to point A. This line should meet point A at a perpendicular.

4.4. Using a protractor to draw angles

Step1: Draw a line segment on a page and choose one end of the line from where the angle would
start
Step 2: Place the protractor's centre on this point and measure out the angle by reading the numbers
on the protractor to the required angle
Step 3: Once the angle is found, make a dot to mark the angle and draw a line from the dot on the
line to the dot of the angle

A protractor has angle measurements that can be read from both sides. You can draw angles on the
right and the left.

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 Module Activity – 1 (Accuracy)
1. Draw a line of 97mm on a blank page using a pencil and ruler. Bisect the line and measure out the two
parts.
2. Using a protractor measure out and draw an angle of 73°. Bisect the angle and measure the two angles.
They should be equal.
3. Draw out a triangle on a blank page. Bisect the three angles with all the bisecting lines meeting at one
point. Measure out the distance from this point to the halfway point of each line. What do you notice?
4. Draw out a triangle. Bisect the three lines with all the bisecting lines meeting at one point. Measure out the
distance from this point to the corners of the triangle. What do you notice?

4.5. Parallel Lines

Parallel lines are lines on a plane that never meet and always remain equal distance apart.
This section will teach you how to draw parallel lines in different forms.

I. Parallel lines with a compass.

Step1: Draw a line segment of any length and choose random points.
Step2: Using a compass, select a radius and draw arcs from all the chosen random points with the
same radius.
Step3: Draw a line touching the top of the arcs. This line should be parallel to the other line.

II. Parallel lines using the sliding set square method.

Step1: On a blank page, draw a line towards the bottom of the page.
Step2: Place the long end of the 45° set square on the line. Then place the ruler against the
edge of the set square.
Step3: Holding the ruler firmly down, slide the set square up the ruler and draw a line
parallel to the original line.

*You can use the sliding method at any angle of the line.

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 4.6. Draw circles through three given points.

Step1: Plot 3 points on a page and label A, B and C.

Step2: Draw a line joining point A and point B. Then bisect the line.
Step3: Draw a line joining point B and point C. Then bisect the line.
Step4: Extend the bisecting lines until they meet and label point D.
Step5: From point D, measure the radius with a compass to one of the original points and
draw a circle. The circle should pass through the three original points.

Module Activity – 2 (Accuracy and Neatness)

1. Using the methods that you have learnt in this module. Construct a 45° angle.
2. Draw the following triangle using your protractor. In a triangle ABC angle, A = 60°, angle B = 75° and angle C =
45°. Construct a circle that would pass through all the points of the triangle.
3. Copy the following diagram on a blank page. Draw a perpendicular line from point 1 to the line segment AB.

4. Draw 3 parallel lines 30mm apart from each other.

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 4.7. Constructing Arcs
In many engineering drawings, you will be required to draw arcs, especially around sharp corners.
This section will learn how to construct arcs in various situations.

I. Acute angles

Step1: Draw an acute angle. (Angle less than 90°)

Step2: Draw parallel lines using the compass method for the two lines. The radii should be the same.
Mark the point where the lines meet point A.
Step3: From point A, draw perpendicular lines to the original lines using a previously covered method
in this module. Mark these points B and C. These points will be the blending points between the
arc and the straight line.
Step4: Place the compass needle at point A and, using the same radii used for the parallel lines,
draw an arc from point B to C. Make sure the lines between the arc and the straight lines meet
neatly at the blending points.

II. Obtuse angles

Step 1: Draw an obtuse angle (Angle more than 90°)
Step 2: Draw parallel lines using the compass method for the two lines. The radii should be the same.
Mark the point where the lines meet point A
Step 3: From point A, draw perpendicular lines to the original lines using a previously covered method in
this module. Mark these points B and C. These points will be the blending points between the arc
and the straight line
Step 4: Place the compass needle at point A and, using the same radii used for the parallel lines, draw an
arc from point B to C

III. Right angles (90°)

Step 1: Using a protractor or a method previously used in this module, draw a right angle, and label
the point where the lines meet point A.
Step 2: Using a compass with a set radius, mark off points on the two lines and label
B and C.
Step 3: Using the same radius from points B and C, draw arcs that should cross and label this point
D.
Step 4: Placing the needlepoint of the compass on point D and using the same radius draw an arc
from point B to C.

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 IV. Construct an arc to join a straight line to an arc with given radii, as
shown in Figure 1 below.

Step1: Draw a parallel line to the existing line using the measurement r.
Step2: Add the radii (R+r), and using point A as the centre, draw an arc to cut the parallel line and
label this point B.
Step3: Draw construction lines from point A to point B and point B to the original line at a
perpendicular. Label these new points C and D. These points will become blending points.
Step4: Placing the compass needle at point B and the radius r, draw an arc from points C to D.
Darken the rest of the drawing. Make sure all blending points are neat.

V. Construct an arc to join two other arcs with different radii, as in Figure 2 below.

Step1: Using construction lines, draw the two arcs in their respective positions according to
dimensions and label the centres A and B.
Step2: Add the radii R1+R3 and draw an arc from point A. Add the radii R2+R3 and draw an arc from
point B so that it crosses the other arc. Label this point C.
Step3: Draw a construction line from A to C and then from C to B. Where this line touches the circles,
A and B, label these points D and E. These points will be the blending points.
Step4: From point C and using radius R3, draw an arc from points D to E. Darken the rest of the
drawing.

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 4.8. Transferring Angles

To transfer angles means to redraw the angle without using a protractor. Follow these simple steps.
Label the corner of the angle point A.

Step1: Using a compass, draw an arc cutting both the lines and label B and C. Draw a new line for
the new angle and label accordingly.
Step2: Using the same radius of the arc, draw another arc on the new line from the new point A. This
will give you point C on the new line.
Step3: Using a compass, transfer the measurement from B to C to the new line and from point C, cut
the previous arc to find point B.
Step4: From point A, draw a line to the intersections and extend. Darken the new
angle.

Module Activity – 4

1. Copy out this figure on a page and draw a mirror image of the figure.

2. Copy out this figure on a page and draw a mirror image of the figure.

4.9. Dividing a line segment into equal amounts of parts.

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In this section, you will learn to divide a line segment of any length into any number of equal
segments or divisions. The student should learn this method and practice often, as it will
often be used.

In the diagram below, the line segment is of an unknown length, but the length will be given
in many drawings. Follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Draw a line segment and label AB. This line could be any length or a given length.
From point A, draw an acute angle in a construction type line.
Step 2: From point A, measure the required divisions on the construction line (7). These
divisions should be of a known value as in the diagram “Step2”, where 10mm per division
was used.
Step 3: Using the sliding set square method (As discussed earlier in this module), draw a
line from the last point of the divisions to the end of the line at point B. Sliding the set square
through all the divisions, draw parallel lines touching the mainline.
Step 4: Mark the divisions on the mainline.

Activity – 5 (Accuracy and Neatness)

1. Draw a horizontal line segment 120mm long and divide into 10 equal parts. Measure out the parts to
check accuracy.
2. Draw a vertical line of 119mm long and divide into seven equal parts. Calculate the divisions with a
calculator and compare by measuring each segment.

4.10. Constructing different Shapes

You have been learning about common geometrical shapes and their properties in Maths; in
this section you will learn how to construct these common shapes used in engineering
drawing. Pay careful attention to the properties of these shapes.

a) Equilateral Triangle: This is a triangle where all sides are of equal length, and all
angles are equal (60°)

Step1: Draw a line segment and label the ends A and B.

Step2: Using a compass, draw 2 arcs from both ends of the line, using the length of the line
as the radius.

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Step3: From where the two arcs meet, draw lines connecting to the two ends of the original
line to form the triangle. (Since the three sides are equal, the three angles should also be
equal, making it an equilateral triangle.)

b) Square: This is a shape where all sides are of equal length, and all angles are equal
(90°)

Step 1: Draw a line segment and label A and B to form the base of the square.
Step 2: Draw a perpendicular line at point A (Covered in a previous section of this module)
and measure the line AB and mark on this line to form point C.
Step 3: Draw arcs with radii CA and AB to intersect each other to form point D.
Step 4: Complete the outline of the square.

c)Hexagon: This is a regular polygon with six sides of equal length, and all the interior
angles are equal. You will be given an Across Corner (A/C) dimension to construct this
hexagon.

Step1: Label the line segment A and D. Divide the dimension in half to find the mid-point
and label O.
Step2: Using a compass, draw a circle from the mid-point to the end of the line, touching
points A and D.
Step3: Using the same radius and placing the needle on points A and D, draw two arcs to
intersect the circle, giving you four more points. Label these points clockwise, starting from
A; B; C; E and F.
Step4: Join all the points to form the hexagon.

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 d) Octagon: It is a regular polygon with eight sides equal length and all interior angles
equal.

Step1: Draw two lines crossing at 90° using your T-square and set square. Label this
point O.
Step2: Using a compass from point O, draw a circle.
Step3: From point O, draw diagonal lines using the 45° set square to touch the circle on
both sides. This should give you eight points on the circle.
Step4: Join all the points to form the octagon.

e) Ellipse: Is a shape like a flattened circle. It is a shape that is also symmetrical along the
axis.
The length will be drawn on the horizontal axis called the Major Axis, and the height will be
drawn on the vertical axis called the Minor Axis. You will learn to construct the ellipse with
the length and height dimensions given. This is called the four-centre method.

Step1: Divide the length and height in half and draw the lines crossing at the mid-point at
90° (Construction type lines). Label this point O. Label the rest of your points as in the
diagram below.

Step 2: Draw a line from points 1 to 3. Place the needle of the compass on point O and the
pencil end at point 2 and draw an arc anticlockwise to touch the vertical axis. Label this point
5.

Step 3: Place the needle of the compass on point 3 and draw an arc from point 5 to lines 1-
3, and label point 6.

Step 4: Bisect line segment 1-6—label point A, where the bisecting line touches the
horizontal axis. Continue the line to touch the vertical axis and label this point B.

Step5: Using a compass, transfer the measurement O-A from the left of the vertical axis to
the right to find point C. Draw a line from point B to C and extend it, passing point C.

Step6: Transfer the measurement O-B from below the horizontal axis to above the horizontal
axis to find point D. Draw a line from point D to C, extending it past point C.

Step7: Placing the needle of the compass on points A and C respectively, draw arcs A-1 and
C-2, taking care not to extend past the blending points.

Step8: Placing the needle of the compass on points B and D, respectively, draw arcs B-3
and D-4 to meet the other arcs neatly.

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Definitions
Symmetrical:
A shape or an object which is made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis;
showing symmetry.

4.11. Summary

Module 4 (geometrical construction) focused on:

 Bisecting a line segment.
 Bisecting an angle.
 Drawing perpendiculars to different points on a line segment.
 Dividing a line into any number of divisions.
 Constructing an equilateral triangle, square, hexagon, octagon, and ellipse.

Activity – 6

1. Construct a square with the base side = 60mm and 45° to the horizontal axis.
2. Construct an ellipse with a major axis = 120mm and a minor axis = 60mm. Tilt the major
axis at an angle of 30°.
3. Complete the following drawings.

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 Assessment

1. The following figure shows a view of a COVER PLATE.

1.1. Draw the view of the cover plate to scale 1:1. [8]
1.2. Construct an ellipse using the four-centre method. Show all construction lines of the
ellipse. [4]
1.3. Insert FOUR dimensions. [4]
1.4. Print the name and scale on the page. [2]

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 Total [18]

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References

1. Van Leeuwen, J.; du Plooy, D. (2014)

2. Mind Action Series Engineering Graphics and Design Textbook
3. Allcopy Publishers, Sanlamhof, 7532
4. Deon, R. (2017) Hands-On! Engineering Drawing N1
5. Mowbray: Future Managers
6. Brink; C.G., Gibbons; P.J., Theron; AE (1997) Engineering Drawing N1: Second
Edition. Pearson South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
7. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Geometry

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