UNIT – 3

THEODOLITE
SURVEYING

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Image:Theodolite vermeer.png

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 Theodolite
Most precise instrument
used for measuring
horizontal & vertical angles,

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 Uses of theodolite
1. Measuring horizontal angles
2. Measuring vertical angles
3. Measuring deflection angles
4. Measuring magnetic angles
5. Measuring horizontal distance between 2
points
6. Finding vertical height of an object
7. Finding difference of elevation between
various points
8. Prolonging of survey line
9. Setting out curves
10. To establish gradients
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 Types of theodolite
1. Transit theodolite:
telescope can be revolved through a
complete revaluation about its horizontal
axis in a vertical plane. it can measure
horizontal as well as vertical angle.
2. NonTransit theodolite:
telescope can not be revolved through a
complete revaluation about its horizontal
axis in a vertical plane. it can measure only
horizontal angle.

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 Types of theodolite
1. Vernier theodolite:

2. Micrometer theodolite:

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 Parts of a theodolite
1. Clamping nut for centering
2. Trivet
3. Foot screws
4. Tribranch
5. Leveling head: Trivet, Foot screws, Tribranch
6. Spindles: 2 spindles coaxial, inner is solid &
conical, outer is hollow
7. Lower plate: attached to outer axis, clockwise
graduation 0º to 360º with lower clamp screw &
tangent screw, reading in º & ’
8. Upper plate: attached to inner axis ,vernier
scales A & B, upper clamp & upper tangent,
reading in ’ & 20”
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 Parts of a theodolite
9. Plate bubble
10. Telescope
11. Standard or ‘A’ frame
12. Vertical circle: divided in 4 quadrants ,
graduations in each quadrant 0º to 90º in
opposite directions, clamp & tangent screw
13. ‘T’frame or index bar
14. Altitude bubble : leveled by clip screw, leveled at
the time of taking vertical angle
15. Optical plumet
16. Shifting head

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 Definitions
1. Centering
2. Vertical axis/Azimuth axis :
Axis about which the instrument/ horizontal
circle rotate in horizontal plane
3. Trunion axis / Horizontal axis :
Axis about which the telescope / vertical rotate
in vertical plane
4. Transiting /plunging /reversing :
turning the telescope in vertical plane by180º
about trunion axis
5. Swinging the telescope :
turning the telescope in horizontal plane,
Right Swing - turning clockwise
Left Swing - turning anticlockwise 11
 Definitions
6. Face left :
vertical circle on left of observer & observation
taken in face left position are called___________
7. Face right:
vertical circle on ______of observer & observation
taken in face_______position are called___________
8. Telescope normal / telescope direct :
Face left postn ,Bubble up
9. Telescope inverted/ telescope reversed:
______________postn ,Bubble _________

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 Measurement of Horizontal Angle
1. Direct method
1. Set up instrument over ‘O”
temprory adjustment P Q
with face left
2. Lower clamp fixed,upper
clamp losened,turn
telescope clockwise vernier A θ
0º & B 180º aproximately,
now tight upper clamp ,now O
use upper tangent screw ,set
verniers exactly 0º & 180º by looking through
magnifying glass

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3. Lower clamp losened, bisect P approximately,
tight the lower clamp & use lower tangent
screw for accurate bisection of P
4. Loose upper clamp ,turn telescope clockwise
& bisect Q approximately, tight the upper
clamp & use upper tangent screw for accurate
busection of Q
5. Note reading on both vernier A & B in table
6. Change the face of instrument & repeat
previous procedure
7. OBSERVATION TABLE

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 Measurement of Horizontal Angle
2. Repetation method
➢ Angle is added no of times
➢ Total is devided by no of reading to get angle
➢ The angle should be measure clockwise in
face left & face right positions, with 3
reptationn each
➢ Final reading of 1st observation will be initial
reading of 2nd observation & so on.

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 Procedure
1. If the angle POQ is to be measured,set up
instrument on O & do all temprary adjustment
with face left ,set vernier A - 0º & B -180º
2. Upper clamp is fixed, lower is loosened
by turning the telescope ranging rod P is
bisected perfectly with the help of lower clamp
screw & lower tangent screw. initial reading is 0º
3. Upper clamp is loosened, turn telescope
clockwise perfect bisect ranging rod Q, tight the
upper clamp suppose reading is 30º
4. Loose lower clamp turn telescope clockwise
exactly bisect P, Here initial reading is 30º for
second observation
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 Procedure
5. Tight lower clamp, loose upper one, turn
telescope clockwise exactly bisect ranging rod
Q,reading on vernier is 60º
6. The initial reading for 3rd observation is set to
60º . Angle POQ is again measured ,let final
reading on vernier A is 90º,which is accumulated
angle

POQ= Accumulated angle = 90

No. of reading 3
=30º
7. Change face of instrument repeat previous
procedure
8. The average of 2 observation will give accurate angle
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 Measurement of Horizontal Angle
3. Reiteration method
➢ Suitable for when several angles are
measured from single station
➢ All angles measured successively &
finally the horizon is closed( i.e. the
angle between last station & 1st station
is measured) so, final reading of leading
vernier should be its initial .

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 Procedure

Horizon B
closed
C

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 Measurement of Vertical Angle

➢ Angle between horizontal line & L.O.C.

When

L.O.C. is Above horizontal line → angle in

Elevation,+ve

L.O.C. is Below horizontal line → angle in

Depression,-ve

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 Procedure
1. Theodolite set up at O leveled & centered,
mach 0º-0º mark in window C & D,
Clamp the telescope
2. Plate bubble is levelled ,altitude buble is
brought to centre by clip screw
3. In this positn L.O.C is exactly horizontal
4. Loose vertical clamp screw & bisect pt. A
record the readings on both verniers
5. Change face of instrument again bisect
pt. A note down readings on both window
6. Avg. of both reading will give exact angle

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➢ To measure magnetic bearing of line

➢ Measurement of deflection angle:

It is the angle which a survey line makes with

the extension of preceding line
Use= for designing the horizontal curves of
rlys. road
Angle may be
Right → clockwise
Left → anticlockwise
➢ Prolonging of survey line
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 Theodolite traversing

1. Included angle method

2. Deflection angle method

3. Fast needle or magnetic bearing method

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 1. Included angle method

➢ Most suitable for closed traverse

➢ Traverse taken anticlockwise

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 Included Angle Procedure
1. Theodolite set up at A ,mach both verniers 0º
& 180º
2. Telescope is oriented north line with help of
tubular compass,then magnetic bearing of
AB line is measured
3. Again vernier A is set at 0º & upper clamp is
fixed.
4. Lower clamp is losened & ranging rod E is
bisected. Upper clamp is loosened ,turn
telescope clockwise & bisect point B.
calculate angle A, change face & again take
reading
5. Similarly measure B,C,D & E 25
 2. Deflection angle method

➢ Most suitable for open traverse- roads,

rlys, coast lines, canals.

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 Deflection Angle
Procedure
1. Theodolite is set up at A, bearing of line AB
line istaken
2. Shift theodolite on B,set vernier A 0º,bisect
A ,transit telescope, tight lower clamp , loose
uper clamp rotate clock wise,swing telescope
& bisect C, take observation
3. Similarly, the other angles can be calculated

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 3. Fast needle method

➢ Method used the magnetic bearings & length

of traverse.

➢ However included angle never measured

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 Procedure
1. Theodolite is set up at A,oriented
along north,fix lower clamp
2. Loose upper clamp, bisect B read FB
of AB(30º), BBof DA line should be
measured from A. Now upper clamp
fixed.

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 Procedure
3. Shift instrument on B, loose lower clamp
bisect A initial reading (30º), transit
telescope the upper clamp is released the
ranging rod at C is bisect, Now reading in
window A will give FB of BC line

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 Latitude & Departure
Latitude:
Distance measured parallel to North-South
line or perpendicular to East –West line

+ ve when towards North called Northing

- ve when towards south called Southing

latitude of a line= Lcosθ

Algebraic sum of latitudes must be equal to
zero
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 Latitude & Departure
Departure:
Distance measured parallel to East-West
line or perpendicular to North-South line

+ ve when towards East called Easting

- ve when towards West called Westing

Departure of a line= Lsinθ

Algebraic sum of Departures must be equal to
zero
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Computation of consecutive
&
independent Co-ordinates

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 Consecutive Co-ordinates
The latitude & departure of any point with
reference to preceding point are called
consecutive co-ordintes of a point

independent Co-ordinates
the co-ordinates of any point with respect to
a common origin are called as independent
co-ordinates of a point

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The latitude & Departures of closed
traverse ABCDA

Consecutive Coordinate

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The latitude & Departures of closed
traverse ABCDA
Independent coordinate

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Problem:
The following is the record of a theodolite
traverse. It is necessary to connect A to F
through a tunnel. Find the length, bearing of
the tunnel.

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Let ABCDEFA ais aclosed traverse.
thus in closed traverse the algebraic sum of
latitudes & departures must be equal to zero

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 ∑ L =0 ∑ D=0

1300.19+463.32+425.26+1854.81+746.06+Lcosθ = 0
Lcosθ = - 4790.03
1323.10+1308.39+1645.85+884.70+2106.8+Lsinθ =0
Lsinθ = -7268.84

Since latitude & departure both are +ve, theline FA

lies in NW quadrant

tan θ = (7268.84/4790.03)
θ = 56º36’57”
Bearing of line FA =N 56º36’57” W
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Length of FA=
= 8705.2 m

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 Closing Error
But due to the errors in field measurement of
angles & lengths, some times finishing point
may not coincide with the starting point of
closed traverse
the distance by which a traverse fails
to close is known as closing error or error of
closure.

closing error AA’=

tanθ = ( ∑D / ∑L )
θ=Reduced bearing
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 Relative error of closure
the closing error is commonly expressed as a
fraction having the numerator or equal to
unity which is called as relative error of
closure

Relative error of closure=

(error of losure/ perimeter of traverse)

=(e/p) = 1/(e/p)

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 Balancing of traverse
➢ ∑L= 0 ∑D = 0
➢ ∑Northing =∑Southing
& ∑Easting= ∑Westing
➢ When not equal then there is closing error.
➢ This error then distributed among+ traverse
station proportionately according to
following rules

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 Bowditch’s rule
➢ Also termed as compass rule
➢ Use to balance traverse when the angular &
linear measurements are equally precise
➢ Most commonly used

Correction in departure of any side=

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 Transit rule
➢ Use to balance the traverse when angular
measurement are more precise than linear
measurement

Correction in departure of any side=

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 Modified Transit rule
➢ Also known as 3rd rule

correction to Southing of any side=

correction to Easting of any side =
correction to Westing of any side =

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 Error is +ve,
correction will be –ve
&
vice versa

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Example on Adjustment

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Adjustment Bowditch’s rule
Correction to latitude of AB=

(70/346) X 0.355= +0.072

Adjustment transit rule

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 Gale’s traverse table
The calculation for a closed traverse may be
made in following steps & entered in tabular
form which is known as Gale’s traverse table

➢ In gale’s traverse table the adjustment of

closed traverse can be done.

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 Omitted measurement
Are those forgotten in the field due to obstacles
or oversight.
these omitted measurements can be calculated
from latitude & departure provided the omitted
measurements will not exceed 2.

These cases :
1. When the length of one side or length &
bearing of one side is omitted
2. Where the length of one side & bearing of
another side is omitted

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