How to use a transit level for grading. Transit is a tool used to establish levels and measure distances on a project.
It uses a small telescope mounted to a tripod. The device allows accurate measurement of differences in height over the visible area of a project.
Just because automated technology has made it easier to locate measurements using surveying equipment, including GPS.
There are still many times when surveying tools like this are needed for projects that require sightlines to be taken from different locations at once or vertical distance/grade needs to be measured (where everything is visible from one point).
In some cases, an ordinary builder with decent math skills can set up and level their own site, but more often than not hiring professionals is advisable if you want it done right the first time.
How to use a transit level for grading
Set up the transit. To grade a roadway (a set of lanes that forms a road) or sidewalk, first lay down stakes to mark the reference point for each location being graded.
Adjust your compass to determine the angle above or below the level for any given point in your project area.
Then adjust your height rod to the same value as found by using the compass, holding it at that distance from one reference stake, and walking along, marking three more points on stakes with either chalk or flags.
Measure back and compare the distance between your marks and report them to your clients so they may decide how much material should be removed at each intersection.
Configure the Transit Level
To set up the transit level, fix the tripod to a three-legged or four-legged base. Push the legs into the ground firmly with your hand until you see that it stands level by trying to roll a spirit level (a small vial of colored liquid containing a bubble in its cap) between the two lines on the device. Lock the leg ends in place.
Mark a Reference Point with a Stick
Take a ruler, a marked length of wood, or whatever the absolute length standard is used to be at your location (these days, it’s more likely to be an optical laser) and hold it straight at the reference point.
Have someone hold it in place because you won’t be looking directly through the ruler. Place your transit in such a way that there are crosshairs present through which you can read off the measurement of whatever you’re using as a horizontal measure.
The most common ruler to use today tends to be the centimeter which since its current conception has been manufactured down to sub-millimeter levels.
Put the Stick on the First Point
Move the ruler to point two, where you measure what is happening now and compare it with what happened previously.
If the previous measurement was 46″ and the previous position was 40″ this means that something has changed.
It’s possible that a higher power has decided to act on things without you noticing it, or that due to another series of actions.
Some market conditions have forced you to go down nine inches in order for your product to be successful. This is a variable known as time.
Calculate the Average of Measurements
Checking survey grades is a thankless task that involves walking one side of the road and then the other, likely in the heat and tired after a full day of checking things off your to-do list.
One must pretty much ensure that their measurements are precise or else there can be heavy consequences.
This means you have to make sure to accurately reference the pole or point over which you’ve measured (you must also check your transit against other known objects) in order to know whether or not that line represents 6″/”100′.
How to use a transit level for grading
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