Chain Survey

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 1

Methods of Linear Measurements
• Direct measurements
– Pacing
– Measurement with passometer
– Measurement with pedometer
– Measurement by odometer and speedometer
– Chaining
• Measurements by optical means
• Electro-magnetic methods

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 2

 Pacing
• Measurements of distance by pacing is chiefly confined
to the preliminary surveys and explorations where a
surveyor is called upon to make a rough survey as quickly
as possible.
• May also be used to roughly check the
distances measured by other means.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 3

Passometer Pedometer
• Is an instrument shaped like • Is a device similar to
a watch and is carried in passometer except that,
pocket or attached to one adjusted to the length of the
leg. pace of the person carrying
• Mechanism of the it,
instrument is operated by • it registers the total distance
motion of body and it covered by any number of
automatically registers the paces.
number of paces.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 4

 Odometer and Speedometer
• Is an instrument for registering the number of
revolutions of a wheel.
• Is fitted to a wheel which is rolled along the line whose
length is required .
• The number of revolutions registered by the odometer
can then be multiplied by the circumference of the
wheel to get the distance.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 5

 Chain Surveying
• is the simplest method of surveying in which only linear
measurements are made and no angular measurements are
taken.
• the area to be surveyed is divided into a number of triangles and
the sides of the triangles are directly measured in the field.
• since the triangle is a simple plane geometrical figure, it can be
plotted from the measured length of its sides alone.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 6

 Use of Chain Surveying
• Is suitable for the following cases:
1. Ground fairly level and open with simple details
2. Large scale plans (1 cm= 10 m)
3. Extent of the area comparatively small
• Is unsuitable for the following cases:
1. Area crowded with many details
2. Wooded countries
3. Undulating areas
4. Extent of large area

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 7

 Instruments for Chaining
1. Chain or Tape
2. Arrows
3. Pegs
4. Ranging Rods
5. Plumb Bob

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 8

 Chain or Tape
• Metric Chain
• Gunter’s Chain or Surveyor’s Chain
• Engineer’s Chain
• Revenue Chain

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 9

Cloth or Linen Tape
• Linen tapes are closely woven linen and
varnished to resist moisture.
• generally 10 m, 20 m, 25 m and 30 m in length
and 12 to 15 mm wide.
• generally used for offset measurements
• light and flexible.

Fibre Glass Tape

• made of glass fibre and similar to linen and plastic
coated tapes.
• quite flexible, strong and non-conductive.
• can be used in the vicinity of electrical equipment.
• do not stretch or shrink due to changes in temperature
or moisture.
Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 10
Metallic Tape
• A linen tape reinforced with brass or copper wires to
prevent stretching or twisting of fibres
• is supplied in a lather case with a winding device.
• Each meter length is divided into ten parts (decimeters)
and each part is further sub-divided into ten parts.
• commonly used for taking offset in chain surveying.
Steel Tape
• made of steel ribbon of width varying from 6 to 16 mm.
• graduated in meters, decimeters and centimeters.
• Steel tapes are used for accurate measurement of
distances.
Invar Tape
• Made of alloy of nickel 36 % and steel 64 % having very low
coefficient of thermal expansion
• Not affected by change of temperature
• Used when high degree of precision is required
Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 11
 Arrows

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 12

 Pegs
• Wooden pegs are used to mark
positions of the stations or terminal
points of a survey line.
• They are driven in the ground with
the help of a wooden hammer and
kept about 4 cm projecting above
the surface.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 13

 Ranging Rods
• Have a length of either 2 m or 3 m.
• Are shod at the bottom with a heavy iron point
• Are painted in alternative bands of either black and white
or red and white or black, red and white in succession,
each band being 20 cm.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 14

 Plumb Bob
• While chaining along sloping ground, a
plumb bob is required to transfer the
points to the ground.
• Is also used to make poles vertical.
• Is used as centering aid in theodolites,
compass, plane table and a variety of
other surveying instruments.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 15

 Ranging Out Survey Lines
• When a survey line is longer than a chain length, it is
necessary to align intermediate points on the so that
measurements are along the line.
• The process of locating intermediate points in survey
line is known as ranging.
• There are two methods of ranging viz., direct ranging
and reciprocal ranging.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 16

 Direct Ranging
• If the first and last points are inter-visible this method is
possible.
• Stations A and B in which an intermediate point C is to be
located.
• Point C is selected at a distance slightly less than a chain
length.
• At points A and b ranging rods are fixed. The assistant holds
another ranging rod near C.
• Surveyor positions himself approximately 2 m behind station A
and looking along line AB, directs the assistant to move at right
angles to the line AB till he aligns the ranging rod along AB.
• Then surveyor instructs the assistant to mark that point and
stretch the chain along Prepared
AC. By: Er. D. R. Bagale 17
Direct Ranging

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 18

 Indirect or Reciprocal Ranging
• Due to intervening ground, if the ranging rod at B is not
visible from station A, reciprocal ranging may be resorted.
• It needs two assistants one at point M and another at
point N, where from those points both station A and
station b are visible.
• It needs one surveyor at A and another at B. To start with
M and N are approximately selected, say M1 and N1.
• Then surveyor near end A ranges person near M to
position M2 such that AM2N1 are in a line.
• Then surveyor at B directs person at N, to move to N2
such that BN2M2 are in a line.
• The process is repeated till AMNB are in a line.
Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 19
Indirect or Reciprocal Ranging

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 20

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 21
 Chain Surveying
• Chain surveying is the type of surveying in which only linear
measurements are taken in the field.
• This type of surveying is done for surveying of small extent to
describe the boundaries of plots of land and to locate the
existing feature on them.
• It is the method of surveying, in which the area is divided into
network of triangles and the sides of the various triangles are
measured directly in the field with a chain or a tape and no
angular measurements are taken.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 22

Triangulation

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 23

 Terms Related to Chain Surveying
Survey Stations
•Survey stations are the points at the beginning and at the end of a
chain line they may also occur at any convenient position on the
chain line. Such station may be
•Main Stations
•Subsidiary Stations
•Tie Stations

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 24

 Survey Stations
Main Station: Stations along the boundary of an area as controlling
points are known as “Main Stations”. The lines joining the main
station are called “Main Survey Lines”. The main survey lines should
cover the whole area to be surveyed. The main stations are denoted
by ∆
Subsidiary Stations: Stations which are on the main survey lines or
any other survey lines are known as “Subsidiary Stations”. These
stations are taken to run subsidiary lines for dividing the area into
triangles, for checking the accuracy of triangles and for locating
interior details.
Tie Stations: These stations are also subsidiary stations taken on the
main survey lines. Lines joining the stations are known as “Tie Lines”.
Tie lines are taken to locate interior details.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 25

 Survey Lines
• Main Survey Lines: The line joining the main stations are called
main survey lines or chain lines.
• Base Line: The line on which the framework of the survey is built
is known as “Base line”. It is the most important line of the survey.
Generally, the longest of the main survey lines is considered as
the base line. This lines should be taken through fairly leveled
ground and should be measured very carefully and accurately.
• Check Line: the line joining the apex point of a triangle to some
fixed points on its base is known as “Check line”. It is taken to
check the accuracy of the triangle. Sometimes this line helps to
locate interior details.
• Tie Line: A line joining tie stations is termed as a tie line. It is run
to take the interior details which are far away from the main lines
and also to avoids long offsets. It can also serve as check line.
Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 26
 Selection of Survey Station
• The following points should be considered while selecting
survey selection of stations:
• They should be inter-visible
• Main lies should run on level ground as far as possible.
• All triangles should be well conditioned.
• Each main triangle should have at least one check line.
• Obstacles to ranging and chaining should be avoided.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 27

 Operations in Chain Surveying
Measuring the distance
• Two persons are required, i.e. leader and follower
• Leader: the chainman at the forward end of the chain who drags
the chain forward
• Follower: the chainman at the rear end of the chain, who holds
the zero end of the chain at the station

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 28

 Offsets
Lateral measurements to chain lines for locating ground features
are known as offsets.

Perpendicular Offsets Oblique Offsets

• The offsets which are taken • Oblique distance is always
perpendicular to the chain greater than perpendicular
line are termed as
perpendicular offsets. distance.
• These offsets are taken by • All the offsets which are not
holding zero end of the tape taken at the right angle to
at the object and swinging chain line are known as
the tape on the chain line.
• The shortest distance oblique offsets.
measured from object to
the chain line is usually the
perpendicular offset.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 29

 Offsets
If the object to be located (say road) is curved more number of
offsets should be taken.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 30

Perpendicular Offset by Swinging
• Tape is stretched along the survey
line. An assistant holds the end of
tape on the object. Surveyor swings
the tape on chain line and selects
the point on chain where offset
distance is the least.
• Notes the chain reading as well as
offset reading in a field book on a
neat sketch of the object.

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 31

3-4-5 Method

Prepared By: Er. D. R. Bagale 32