Surveying-II

Curves

Vertical curves
Lecture 4
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 Curves
Vertical Curves
• In addition to horizontal curves that go to the right or left, roads also
have vertical curves that go up or down.
• Vertical curves at a crest or the top of a hill are called summit curves, or
oververticals.
• Vertical curves at the bottom of a hill or dip are called sag curves, or
underverticals.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
• In the same way that horizontal curves are used to connect intersecting
straights in the horizontal plane, vertical curves are used to connect
intersecting straights in the vertical plane.
• These straights are usually called gradients and the combination of the
of the gradients and vertical curve is known as vertical alignment.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
• The vertical alignment is composed of a series of straight-line gradients
connected by curves, normally parabolic in form.
• These vertical parabolic curves must therefore be provided at all
changes in gradient.
• The curvature will be determined by the design speed, being sufficient
to provide adequate driver comfort with appropriate stopping sight
distances provided.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Purpose of Vertical Curves
• Vertical curves are similar to horizontal curves in that they are designed
for a particular speed.
The main functions of a vertical curve are to provide:
• Safety and comfort travelling between gradients
• Adequate visibility to enable vehicles to stop or overtake safely.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
• When two different gradients meet they are connected by a curve in a
vertical plane is called vertical curve. it is used in roads and railway.
Objective:
• To round off the angle at the apex and to obtain a gradual change in
grade or gradient, so that abrupt change in grade is avoided at the apex.
• Vertical curves may be:
a) Circular arc b) Arc of Parabola
• For simplicity of calculation work, the parabola is preferred.
• When the ratio of length of curve to radius is less than 1 to 10, i.e< 1 to 10
• Than there is no practical difference b/w shapes of parabola, circle and an
ellipse, the parabola will be used.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves

• In practice, road and railway gradients are comparatively flat and it is

often unimportant what type of vertical curve is used.
• The usual curves are circular or parabolic. However, it is best to use a
vertical curve having a constant rate of change of gradient, i.e., a
parabola and as it turns out, parabolic vertical curves are very easy to
calculate and use.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
• Parabola has desirable characteristics of:
1) Constant rate of change of slopes which contributes to
sooth alignment transition.
2) Ease of computation of vertical offsets which permits
easily computed curve.
• The Grade for the gradient of a road is expressed in two ways:
a) As a percentage i.e 2 % 1.5 %
b) As 1 in n , where n is horizontal distance in meter or
feet corresponding to 1m or 1ft rise or fall. E.g 1 in 80 & 1 in 100.
1 in 50 = 2%, 1 in 25 = 4%,
Sign convention:
a) Gradient rising ( ascending) to the right are taken +ve
b) Gradient falling ( descending) to right are taken –ve
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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Types of vertical curve:
1) An up grade followed 2) A down grade followed
by a down grade by an Up grade

Summit or Convex Sag or Concave 9

 Curves
Vertical Curves
Types of vertical curve:
3) An up grade followed 4) A down grade followed
by another up grade by another down grade

Sag or Concave Summit or Convex 10

 Curves
Vertical Curves
Types of parabola curves:
Two basic types
1) Crest 2) Sag

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Assumptions in Vertical Curve Calculations
• Choosing a parabola simplifies the calculations of a vertical curve, further
simplifications are also made if certain assumption are used.
• Vertical curves are generally designed with equal tangent lengths such that PQ =
OR.
• Assumptions made are:
• Chord PWR = Arc PSR = PQ + QR
• Length along the tangents = horizontal length, i.e. PQ = PQ’
• QU = QW, i.e. there is no difference in dimensions measured either in the vertical
plane or perpendicular to the entry tangent length

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Properties of Parabola
a) The vertical through the intersection of
tangent A, bisect OB.
b) OA = AB and FA = FE, where F is
vertex of parabola
c) Offset y from tangent OA are
proportional to the square of distance x
from O.
The offsets should be perpendicular to the
tangent but as flat gradients are usually
involved it is used sufficiently accurate to
take them vertically.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Properties of Parabola
Let eqn of parabola is

= 2 K x (gradient slope)
=2K (a constant)
i.e rate of change of slope is constant.
Thus parabola gives an even rate of
gradient.
For flat gradients it is usually accurate
enough to treat length along tangent be
equal to the horizontal projection of
tangent.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Properties of Parabola
a) To find K, at x = L
x +x

From eqn y = k x2
=

General form of Parabolic equation

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Properties of Parabola
b) At x = , y= AF (from tangent to curve)

From similar OAE ,OCB

, y = BC

i.e AF = FEIn vertical curve we have horizontal distance and offsets only.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Location of Highest and Lowest Point
Taking O as datum any point on the curve will have
height

For max value of H

gives distance at point where H is maximum , applicable

for both crest as well as sag.

r = rate of change of gradients = 0.1 per 100 ft or 30m.

If r is given then

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Length of Vertical Curve
Length of vertical curve is influenced by
1) Centrifugal effect
2) Visibility
At sags and at summit, formed by flat gradients, centrifugal effect is the
chief consideration.
while at summit where the algebraic change of gradient is large, visibility
is main concern.

1) Centrifugal effect:
A minimum radius of 1000 m should be used at sags and brows. This gives
a centrifugal acceleration of 0.75 at 100 .

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Length of Vertical Curve
1) Centrifugal effect:
Parabola can be approximate to circle,
=2K = ,

,
(at R = 1000 m) ,=
On highways
, Where S = sight distance, h =height of drivers eye above road , h = 1.15m
( NAASRA), h = 1.50 (AASHTO), h= 1.1 m (book)

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Length of Vertical Curve
2) Sight distance:
At summits where speed of 100 km/ hr are contemplated, the
requirement of visibility 1.e the sight line will lead to longer curves than
one obtained by above formula.
In the design of summit or convex curve it is required to calculate the
minimum length of curve which will give the required sight distance.
“ The length of road visible to the driver clear of object while driving is
called sight distance”.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Length of Vertical Curve
2) Sight distance:
Three cases will be considered:
1) The length of curve is greater than the sight distance ( L > S)
2) The length of curve is smaller than the sight distance ( L < S)
3) The length of curve is equal to required sight distance ( L = S)
4) Tangent Correction

Assignment

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Procedure for Computing a Vertical Curve
Two methods
1) Tangent corrections or tangent offset Method
2) By Chord Gradients
1) Tangent corrections or tangent offset Method
a)Determined gradients and compute the curve length L
b) Compute the chainage of tangent points O and B, if chainage of
intersection point A is given
Chainage of O = chainage of A -
Chainage of B = chainage of A +

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Procedure for Computing a Vertical Curve
1) Tangent corrections or tangent offset Method
c) Compute the elevation of tangent point O and B from the elevation of
intersection point A
Elevation of O = elevation of A ±
Elevation of B = elevation of A ±
d) Compute the tangent offset for the stations or pegs on the curve
Tangent offset =
e) Find the elevation of stations on the curve by eqn
Elevation of station on curve at a distance x = elevation of station on tangent
tangent offset or correction
-ve sing in case of crest curve, +ve sign in case of sag curve.

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 Curves
Vertical Curves
Example 01: Find the length of vertical curve connecting two uniform
grades from the following data:
a) + .8% and - 0.6%, rate of change of grade is 0.1 per 30m
b) – 0.5% and +1%, rate of change of grade is 0.05 per 30m
Solution:
a) L = = = 420 m
b) L = = 900 m

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 Vertical Curves
Example 02: Calculate the R.L of various stations pegs on a vertical
curve connecting two uniform grades of + 0.5% and -0.7%. The chainage
and R.L of point of intersection are 500 m and 330.750 m respectively.
Take the rate of change of grade as 0.1% per 30m.
Solution:
1) Length of vertical curve L
L = x 30 = = 360 m

2) Chainage of A = 500 m
Chainage of O = chainage of A - = 500 – 180 = 320 m
Chainage of B = chainage of A + = 500 + 180 = 680 m

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Solution: 02 Vertical Curves
3) R.L of Point of intersection A = 330.75 m
R.L of O = 330.75 - = 330.75 - = 329.85 m
R.L of B = 330.75 - = 330.75 - = 329.49 m
R.L of mid point E of chord OB = ½ (R.L of O + R.L of B) = ½ (329.85 +329.49)
= 329.67 m
R.L of F (Vertex of curve) = ½ ( R.L of B + R.L of A) = ½ (330.75 + 329.67)
= 330.21 m
The difference AF b/w A and F = 330.75 – 330.21 = 0.54 m
Check: AF =
4) 1stpoint on the curve chainage = 350 m , x= 30m
R.L of 1st point on tangent = 329.85 + = 330 m
Tangent correction =y = = 0.015 m
R.L of 1st point on the curve = 330 m – 0.015 = 329.985 m

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 Vertical Curves
Solution: 02
Station Chainage Grade Tangent Curve
(m) Elevation Correction Elevation
(m) (m) (m)
0 320 329.85 0 329.85 Start of V.C

1 350 330.00 329.985

2 380 330.15 6 330.090
3 410 330.30 330.165
4 440 330.45 330.210
5 470 330.60 330.225
6 (F) 500 330.75 330.210 Vertex of V.C

7 530 330.54 330.165

8 560 330.33 330.090
9 590 330.12 329.985
10 620 330.91 06 329.850
11 650 330.70 329.685
12 (B) 680 330.49 329.490 End od V.C
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