PRECISE LEVELLING

Precise levelling may be required in certain instances in construction such as in deformation

monitoring, the provision of precise height control for large engineering projects such as long-
span bridges, dams and hydroelectric schemes and in mining subsidence measurements. For
example, a dam that has been in place for many years is unlikely to be moving.

However, should the dam fail the results would be catastrophic for those on the downstream
side. Being under the pressure of water when full, the dam may be liable to distortion. The
behaviour of the dam must therefore be monitored. One way of monitoring any vertical
movement along the dam is by levelling. Since early warning of small movement is required,
and since conclusions about movement must be made with statistical confidence, the levelling
must be very precise.

There is more to precise levelling than precise levels. High quality equipment is very important,
but so is the method by which it is used. Indeed the two components of precise levelling are
precise equipment and precise procedures. Precise levelling uses the same principles as
ordinary levelling but with:

 Higher quality instruments and more accurate staves

 More rigorous observing techniques
 Restricted climatic and environmental conditions
 Refined booking and reduction
 Least squares adjustment for a levelling net

PRECISE INVAR STAFF

Precise levelling staff has its graduations precisely marked on invar strips, which are attached
to wooden or aluminium frames. The strip is rigidly fixed to the base of the staff and held in
position by a spring-loaded tensioning device at the top. This arrangement provides support
for the invar strip without restraining it in any way. Usually there are two scales on each staff,
offset from each other by a fixed amount. The staff is placed upon a change plate at
intermediate stations.

A conventional levelling change plate is small and light and is designed to give a firm
platform for the staff on soft ground. Precise levelling should only ever take place on firm
ground and the precise levelling change plate is designed to be unmoving on a hard surface. It
is therefore heavy. The feet are rounded so that they do not slowly sink or heave when placed
on tarmac. The top is smooth, round and polished. The change plate from a solid piece of
steel and weighs about 10 kilograms.

For the most precise work, two staffs are used; in which case they should be carefully matched
in every detail. A circular bubble built into the staff is essential to ensure verticality during
observation. The staff should be supported by means of steadying poles or handles;

i. The staff should have its circular bubble tested at frequent intervals using a plumb-
bob.
ii. Warping of the staff can be detected by stretching a fine wire from end to end.
iii. Graduation and zero error can be counteracted by regular calibration.
iv. For the highest accuracy a field thermometer should measure the temperature of the
strip in order to apply scale corrections.

INSTRUMENTS
The equipment used should be precise levels of the highest accuracy. They should provide
high-quality resolution with high magnification (×40) and be capable of being adjusted to
remove any significant collimation. This may be achieved with a highly sensitive tubular
bubble with a large radius of curvature that gives a greater horizontal bubble movement per
angle of tilt. In the case of the automatic level a highly refined compensator would be necessary.
In either case a parallel plate micrometer, fitted in front of the object lens, would be used to
obtain sub – millimeter resolution on the staff.

Field procedure description:

 At the beginning and end of each levelling run a stable and precise benchmark is
required.
 Intermediate points are not observed.
 To avoid accidental damage or vandalism wall mounted benchmarks can be removed
from the wall leaving the barrel, which has been fixed with epoxy resin, capped for
protection.
 The size of the levelling team depends upon the observing conditions and the equipment
available.
 In ordinary levelling an observer and staff holder are required. In precise levelling there
are two staves and therefore two staff holders are required.
 If a programmed data logger is available then the observer can also do the booking. If
the observations are to be recorded on paper a booker should also be employed. The
booker’s task, other than booking, is to do a series of quality control checks at the end
of each set of observations, before moving to the next levelling bay.
 Finally, in sunny weather, an umbrella holder is required because it is necessary to
shield the instrument and tripod from the heating effects of the sun’s rays.

The following procedures should be adhered to when carrying out precise levelling:

a) Precise levelling can be manpower intensive, and therefore expensive to undertake. It

is important to carry out a full reconnaissance of the proposed levelling route prior to
observations being taken to ensure that the best possible route has been chosen.
b) End and intermediate benchmarks should be constructed well before levelling starts to
prevent settling during levelling operations.
c) Steep slopes are to be avoided because of the unequal and uncertain refraction effects
on the tops and bottoms of staves.
d) Long lines should be split into workable sections, usually each section will not be more
than about 3 km, because that is about as much as a team can do in one day. There must
be a benchmark at each end of the line to open and close on. The length of each line
will depend upon terrain, transport, accommodation and other logistical considerations.
e) Each section is to be treated as a separate line of levelling and is checked by forward
and backward levelling. This will isolate errors and reduce the amount of re-levelling
required in the case of an unacceptable misclosure.
f) On each section, if the forward levelling takes place in the morning of day 1, then the
backward levelling should take place in the afternoon or evening of day 2. This will
ensure that increasing refraction on one part of the line in one direction will be replaced
by decreasing refraction when working in the other direction. This will help to
compensate for errors due to changing refraction effects.
g) On bright or sunny days an observing umbrella should be held over the instrument and
tripod to avoid differential heating of the level and of the tripod legs.
h) Take the greatest care with the base plate of the staff. Keep it clean. Place it carefully
onto the change plate and do not drop the staff. This will avoid any change in zero error
 of the staff. When the staff is not being used, it should be rested upon the staff-man’s
clean boot.
i) The rounded centre on the change plate should be kept polished and smooth to ensure
that the same staff position is taken up each time it is used.
j) The change plate must be firmly placed and not knocked or kicked between foresight
and backsight readings. Remember there is no check on the movement of a change plate
between these observations. The staff holder should stand clear between observations.
k) The observation to the back staff must be followed immediately by an observation to
the forward staff, both on one scale. This is to ensure that refraction remains constant
during the forward and back observations of one bay. Then, an observation to the
forward staff is followed immediately by an observation to the back staff on the other
scale. This procedure helps to compensate for unknown changes in refraction, by
balancing the errors.

OBSERVATON PROCEDURES

Using two double scale rods the sequence of observation would be:

i. BS left-hand scale on staff A

ii. FS left-hand scale on staff B
iii. FS right-hand scale on staff B
iv. BS right-hand scale on staff A

BOOKING AND COMPUTING

Once the observations are complete and before the back staff and the instrument leapfrog
forward, reductions and quality checks are made. The order of filling the table is:

BS (top, lower, middle); FS (middle, top, lower, middle); BS (middle) = station 1

FS (top, lower, middle); BS (middle, top, lower, middle); FS (middle) = station 2

Example: Book the following precise levelling readings in the standard format:

Station 1: 1.6290, 1.5461, 1.5875, 1.7821, 1.8234, 1.7408, 1.7821, 1.5877

Station 2: 1.3000, 1.2100, 1.2551, 1.5998, 1.6447, 1.5547, 1.5998, 1.2551
STATION BACKSIGHT FORESIGHT
Stadia Hair Middle Hair Middle Hair Stadia Hair
Readings Readings Readings Readings
Station 1 1.6290 1.5875 1.7821 1.8234
1.5461 1.5877 1.7821 1.7408
summation 3.1751 3.1752 3.5642 3.5642
difference 0.0829 -0.0002 0.00 0.0826

Station 2 1.6447 1.5998 1.2551 1.3000

1.5547 1.5998 1.2551 1.2100
summation 3.1994 3.1996 2.5102 2.5100
difference 0.090 0.00 0.00 0.090
1. From the observations above, the checks are determined:
a) Compute the apparent differences of the summation of stadia hairs and middle
hairs of the same staff. Because these are constants of the invar strips they should
be the same. They should be within ±0.0005 of each other

Station 1 = Stadia − Middle = 3.1751 − 3.1752 = -0.0004

Stadia − Middle = 3.5642 − 3.5642 = 0.000

Station 2 = Stadia − Middle = 3.1994 − 3.1996 = -0.0002

Stadia − Middle = 2.5100 − 2.5102 = -0.0002

The figures are acceptable.

b) The difference of the difference of middle hair readings for each staff should be
zero, otherwise should not exceed ±0.0005
Station 1 = -0.0002 – 0.000 = -0.0002
Station 2 = 0.000 – 0.000 = 0.000
c) The difference of the difference of stadia hair readings for each staff should be
zero, otherwise should not exceed ±0.0005
Station 1 = 0.0829 – 0.0826 = 0.0003
Station 2 = 0.0900 – 0.0900 = 0.0000
 2. Compute the Running Difference Height ΔH = ΣBS - ΣFS by the average of the
summation of backsight and foresight;
ΣBS = (3.1751 ÷ 2 = 1.58755) + (3.1994 ÷ 2 = 1.5997) = 3.18725 m
ΣFS = (3.5642 ÷ 2 = 1.78210) + (2.5100 ÷ 2 = 1.2550) = 3.03710 m
Running Difference Height ΔH = 3.18725 – 3.03710 = 0.15015 m

3. The total distance covered during the exercise is computed

D = {ΣBS difference + ΣFS difference} x stadia constant, 100
D = {0.1729 + 0.1726} x 100 = 34.55 m

4. Closing error (accuracy):

Allowable Closing Error: E= C √D(Km)
where C is a constant for a particular class of levelling and D is the distance levelled
in Kilometers.

REASONS FOR PRECISE LEVELLING

a. Provision of levelling framework of vertical control network throughout the

country. It is concerned with establishment of permanent benchmarks of
accurately known heights.
b. Precise levelling is essential in construction aspects such as deformation
monitoring, large projects such as long – span bridges, dams, etc.
c. Enables the computation of geoid – ellipsoid separation
d. It provides precise control for Photogrammetric networks

SOURCES OF ERRORS

i. Zero error – it is present if the zero graduation does not coincide with the base of the
staff. It is eliminated by use of two staffs and leap frogging.
ii. Non – verticality of the staff. The staff should always be plumb when taking readings
iii. Warpage of the staff (curved staff). It is avoided by proper handling of the staff.
iv. Temperature effects – instruments should always be shaded from direct sun light
using survey umbrella. The observations should be made early mornings or late
afternoons.
 v. Collimation error – it is present when the line of sight is inclined. Two – peg test
should always be done prior to any levelling work to eliminate this error.
vi. Curvature and refraction – when the distance of sight is long, the curvature of the
earth affects the staff reading. The distance between backsight and foresight should
not exceed 50 m.

TOPICAL QUESTIONS
1. List three applications of precise levelling
2. Describe the procedure of precise levelling using a digital level
3. Distinguish between precise levelling and ordinary levelling in terms of area of
application and the order
4. Outline any four advantages of a digital level over the precise level with a micrometer
5. Explain the sources of errors in precise levelling and precautions taken to minimize them

6. Book the following precise level readings in the standard format and carry out the
necessary reductions.

At stn 1.4818 1.0106 1.2462 1.0105 1.2453 0.7441 1.0102 1.2459

1.

At stn 2 1.7540 1.4102 1.5821 2.6270 2.7987 2.4552 2.6272 1.5819

7. During a precise levelling exercise, a surveyor occupied stations L1, L2, L3 and L4 and
made the following observations in the correct standard order to points A, B, C and D

At L1
To BM and A: 1.4818, 1.0106, 1.2462, 1.0105, 1.2453, 0.7741, 1.0102, and 1.2459
At L2
To A and B: 1.7540, 1.4102, 1.5821, 2.6270, 2.7987, 2.4552, 2.6272, and 1.5819
At L3
To B and C: 1.5493, 1.1141, 1.3343, 1.1345, 1.3496, 0.9195, 1.1346, and 1.3343
At L4
To C and D: 1.2537, 07399, 0.9968, 1.5289, 1.7859, 1.2720, 1.5290, and 0.9967

If the levelling started from a BM of height 2173.4910m above sea level

i. Book the observations in the precise levelling field note format
ii. Determine the reduced level of points A,B,C and D

8. State the precautions taken in the field to minimize, the following errors in precise
levelling
i. Curvature
ii. Differential heating of the instrument
iii. Collimation error
 iv. Refraction
v. Settlement of the instrument
vi. Non verticality of the staff

9. The table below shows extracts of precise levels taken during a levelling exercise. If the
data was recorded in the order in which they were taken in the field

I. Draw the booking sheet and enter the readings carrying out all the necessary
reductions and checks
II. Determine the total distance covered
III. The height difference between the end points
1.6290 1.5461 1.5875 1.7821 1.8234 1.7408
1.7821 1.5877 1.3000 1.2100 1.2551 1.5998
1.6447 1.5547 1.5998 1.2551

10. In order to control a power station an observer took the following precise readings in
sequence 1.0368, 0.7916, 0.9276, 1.5658, 1.7013, 1.4304, 1.5658 and 0.9279. if the
readings started on a benchmark of reduced level 160.00 m
i. Book the level readings in the correct format
ii. Obtain the reduced level of the power station
11. Draw a field note page and demonstrate how the following are carried out in precise levelling

a. Order of booking staff readings

b. Type of readings per staff
c. Checking of staff readings