CE 30300 – Engineering Surveying

Credits and contact hours:

  • 3 credits
  • Lecture that meets 2 times per week for 50 minutes per meeting and lab meets 1 time per week for 150 minutes for 15 weeks

Specific course information:

  • Catalog description: Horizontal and vertical control surveys on site and route projects for engineering design and construction layout. Geometric design of horizontal circular curves, spiral easement curves, and vertical parabolic curves. Earthwork volume computation and balancing. Use of coordinate geometry (COGO) design software including terrain and design surface modeling. Methods and tools used for construction layout, as-built surveys, and industrial measurements.
  • Prerequisites: CE 20300 or equivalent with minimum Grade of C-
  • Course status: Elective course

Specific Goals for the course:

  • Student learning outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course the student shall be able to:
    • use COGO software to solve problems used in route and subdivision design computations
    • compute all geometric and stakeout information for horizontal and vertical alignments
    • design horizontal and vertical curves to satisfy geometric constraints and sight distance constraints
    • use triangulated irregular network (TIN) modeling software to make surface models for contour mapping and extraction of profiles and cross sections
    • interpolate and interpret terrain contours
    • draw graded contours and compute slope intercept for route projects and site development drainage plans
    • compute earthwork quantities by borrow pit, graded contours, and cross section methods
    • analyze positional error in field layout problems
  •  Relationship of course to program outcomes
    • Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
    • Outcome 5: An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

Topics:

  • DESIGN COMPUTATIONS
    • Forward and Inverse Computation, Intersections, Coordinate Transformation
  • HORIZONTAL ROAD ALIGNMENT
    • Horizontal circular curves, spiral transition curves, superelevation, curve fitting, sight distance.
  • VERTICAL ROAD ALIGNMENT
    • Equal tangent parabolic curves, unequal tangent curves, curve fitting, sight distance.
  • VOLUME CALCULATIONS
    • Borrow pit excavation, contour, cross sections and average end area methods, mass diagrams.
  • DIGITAL TERRAIN MODELING
    • Triangulated irregular network modeling, derived contours, design surface modeling for grading plans, volume determination.
  • GEODETIC AND PLANE SURVEYING
    • Geodetic datums, map projections and coordinates, reduction of observations for distance, angle, and elevation to coordinate system.
  • QUALITY CONTROL OF SURVEYING OBSERVATIONS
    • Review error theory and error propagation, introduction to least squares adjustment methods and analysis.