BAR BENDING AND CONCRETING

Level-II
Unit of Competence: Apply basic leveling procedures
Plan and prepare
1.1 Introduction of Planning and preparing for work instructions/leveling
work instructions is the Plan that includes requirements and operational details of a relevant information to
prepare for basic leveling activities. It may include plans, specifications, quality, working procedures.
As with all jobs in building and construction, the task of leveling requires
careful planning and preparation – not only because it helps to get the task
done efficiently, but it also ensures that it’s done accurately and precisely.
The leveling process helps creates a geographic profile of the site, so it’s
very important that this is carried out correctly. It’s one of the very first
steps in the building process, and all aspects of the construction rely on it.
Mistakes made at this point will affect later stages of the construction
process and can be very costly.

Leveling:- is the operation in surveying which is made to determine and

establish elevations of points, to determine differences in elevation between
points and to control grades in construction surveys. This elevation of a point is the vertical distance of a point
below or above a given reference level surface/datum/, usually mean sea level.
The determination of the elevation of points has a great importance on control grades for road, railway,
drainage, and canal construction works. Leveling is used to determine the quantity of earthwork in
construction works. It is also used to calculate the quantity of water in stored in a reservoir or dam etc.
Horizontal line at point A
A

Level line Elevation of point A

Sea level datum Vertical

Line through A
Definition of terms
1. A vertical line: - is a line parallel to the direction of gravity. It is best represented by a plump bob,
which is suspended freely at a point.
2. A Level line: -is a curved line in a level surface where all points in a line have equal elevation. Every
element of a line is perpendicular to gravity.
3. Horizontal line: - a straight-line tangent to a level line at a given point.
4. Level surface: - is a surface of constant elevation that is per perpendicular to a plumb line at every
point. It is best represented by the shape that a large body of still water would take if it were
unaffected by tides.
5. Difference in elevation: -is the vertical distance between level surface passing through a point.
6. Reduced level (RL): - It is a level of a point from a reference datum. The Reduced level of any point
is the height or depth of that point above or below the assumed datum. It is the elevation of point.
7. Bench mark (BM): - is a permanent or semi permanent point of known elevation that provides
beginning point for determining the elevation of other points.
8. Back sight (BS) is the first sight taken after the setting up of the instrument. Initially it is usually made
to some form of benchmark. Or to the point whose elevation has already been determined. This is used
to determine Height of Instrument (HI).
9. Height of Instrument (HI): For any set up of the level, the elevation of the line of sight is called HI.
10. Fore sight (FS) is the last sight taken before moving the instrument.
11. Change Point (CP) – the staff position at which a FS and then a BS reading are taken
12. Turning point (T.P):- is the station where a back sight and Foresight readings are taken. It indicates
the shifting of Instrument
13. Mean Sea Level (MSL): is the average height of the sea’s surface for all stages of the tide over a 19
year period
14. Intermediate foresight (IFS): -is an intermediate sight taken before the last sight. It is a reading,
which can be done with a similar instrument height.
15. Datum:- A datum is a reference surface of constant potential, called as a level surface of the earth’s
gravity field, for measuring the elevations of the points..
Types of leveling devices
- A level is basically a telescope attached to an accurate leveling device, set upon a tripod so that it can
rotate horizontally through 360 degrees. Normally the leveling device is a bubble, but modern ones
incorporate pendulum. There are three basic levels.
 a. Dumpy Levels – The telescope is rigidly attached to a single bubble and the assembly is adjusted
either by means of a screwed ball-joint or by footscrews which are adjusted first in one direction, then
90 degrees.

b. Tilting Levels – thus type of levels is fitted with a circular bubble for preliminary approximate leveling
and a main bubble which is attached to the telescope. For each observation (not set up) the main bubble
is viewed through an eyepiece and the telescope tilted by a fine screw to bring the two ends of the
bubble into coincidence.

c. Automatic Levels-this more modern type of level is now in general use. It has a compensator which
consists of an arrangement of three prisms. The two outer ones are attached to the barrel of the
telescope. The middle prism is suspended by fine wiring and reacts to gravity. The instrument is first
leveled approximately with a circular bubble; the compensator will then deviate the line of sight by the
amount that the telescope is out of level.

1. Focusing screw
2. Eyepiece
3. Foot screw
6. Tangent screw
7. Circular bubble

4. Horizontal circle

5. Base plate

8. Collimator (sight)

9. Object lens
 Staff

The leveling staff is a box section of aluminum or wood, which will extend 3 or 5 meters in
height by telescoping, hinging or addition of section. One face has a graduated scalee
attached for reading with the cross-hairs of the level telescope. These faces can vary in
pattern and graduation; 5mm graduations should be the maximum for accurate leveling of
gauging stations.

 Staff bubbles
- These are generally a small circular bubble on an angle plate which is held against one
corner of the staff to ensure that the staff is held in a vertical position. If the staff is not held
vertical, the reading will be too large and may be significantly in error.

Set up and use leveling Device.

Uses of Leveling
In the context of measurements, leveling is used for the following purposes:
 Referencing of Points: To determine and check the vertical stability of the points with respect to
reference points (benchmarks) in its immediate vicinity.
 Connection to GPS Reference Points: To determine its regional stability and to separate sea
level rise from vertical crustal motion, the point should be connected via GPS to reference stations
fixed in a global co-ordinate system.
 Connection to National Leveling Network: Mean sea level is used to define vertical datum’s
for national surveying and mapping , hence the point must be connected to the national leveling network.
Connection to the network will also allow all points to be connected to each other, providing information
on spatial variations in mean sea level.
 Concepts of setting-up and testing leveling devices
The first step in setting up the level is to attach the level itself to the tripod or legs. The level is placed in
a location which is fairly open so that a clear rod reading may be obtained on the benchmark. The
proper setting of the tripod is very important. The legs of the tripod are required to be spread so that the
base plate of the level is approximately horizontal and a stable base is provided. If the ground has a steep
slope, two of the legs should be set about the same elevation and lower on the slope than the third leg.
The legs are set firmly into the ground and the three wing nuts of the legs just under the head tightened.
The tripod is not set on a hard slick surface, such as a hot mix asphalt pavement, concrete pavement, or
sidewalk, unless absolutely necessary.

Setting up
1. Mount the leveling instrument on the tripod and, if necessary, make manual adjustments to
ensure that it’s level.
a) Use the base plate adjustment screws to bring the bubble in the attached spirit level into the
center.

b) Swing the optical level around 180° and center the bubble again.
c) Return the optical level to the starting position and recheck the bubble. Adjust as necessary until the
optical level is accurate in all directions. As long as the bubble in the circular level is central, the automatic
compensators will make the necessary fine adjustments.

2. Look through the eyepiece of the optical level towards the leveling staff. Turn the focusing knob
(clockwise or anticlockwise) until the details of the staff are clea
Rotate the telescope by 900 and adjust the remaining leveling screw until it is precisely c

Note: The design and color of the staff can vary; however,
most staffs use a combination of black and red with an alternating pattern of E-shapes
The staff is initially divided into meters and tenths of meters (100 mm).
These are labeled with a number with a decimal point.
The measurement line always lines up with either
the bottom or top of each E-shape.
Each vertical block of color (and space between)
in the shapes is one hundredth of a meter (10 mm) high.
There are 10 separate blocks of color (and space) between
each numerical label (10 × 10 mm = 100 mm).

Holding a staff
The most important aspect of holding a staff is
making sure it’s plumb (vertical). If it’s leaning in any
direction, the crosshairs will appear to be further up
the staff and the reading will be incorrect.
If the assistant stands behind the staff, neither the
assistant nor the instrument operator can tell whether
the staff is vertical from the side.
Cut and fill
 In earthmoving, cut and fill is the process of
constructing a railway, road or canal whereby the
amount of material from cuts roughly matches the amount of fill needed to make nearby embankments, so
minimizing the amount of construction labor. This technique is widely practiced in mining applications.

 Cut slopes are rarely created greater than a slope of two to one (horizontal to vertical dimensions). Cut
sections of roadway or rail are characterized by the roadway being lower in elevation than the surrounding
terrain. From an operational standpoint there are unique environmental effects associated with cut sections
of roadway. For example, air pollutants can concentrate in the ‘‘valleys’‘created by the cut section.
Conversely, noise pollution is mitigated by cut sections since an effective blockage of line of sight sound
propagation is created by the depressed roadway design.
  Fill sections manifest as elevated sections of a roadway or track bed. Environmental effects of fill sections
are typically favorable with respect to air pollution dispersal, but in the matter of sound propagation,
exposure of nearby residents is generally increased, since sound walls and other forms of sound path
blockage are less effective in this geometry. There are a variety of reasons for creating fills, among them
reduction of grade along a route or elevation of the route above water, swampy ground, or areas where
snow drifts frequently collect. Fills can also be used to cover tree stumps, rocks, or unstable soil, in which
case material with a higher bearing capacity is placed on top of the obstacle in order to carry the weight of
the roadway or railway and reduce differential settlement.
 This practice was first performed on new dwellings for returned soldiers in Ireland at the end of World War
II. It was developed by Irish railway engineer Lachlan J. Boland, who saw the benefits of introducing
railway practices to residential construction. Previously, the practice of cut-and-fill was widely utilized to
construct tracks along rolling terrain across the British Isles.
 When planning the design and construction of a building, architects and engineers must first consider the
existing conditions of the site. Most often, the given site is not level and must be modified before any
construction can begin. So, the cut and fill process is typically one of the first construction processes to take
place on a site.
Without computer software to determine the amount of land to be added or removed, we can do simple
calculations to estimate the cut and fill volume of any site. First, the site is divided into sections. Essentially,
the site is "sliced" into segments of land, at a specified fixed distance apart, so we can look at each segment
individually. Section cuts are drawn based on the topography of the land in order to accurately represent the
land that is being evaluated. The topography map describes the existing slopes of the land, and allows us to
draw site elevations in our section cuts.
 One on the topography map represents a change in elevation of 10 feet. So the section at 0ft (the red
dashed line above) looks like this in elevation. Then, by removing the elevation lines, we get the following
section for the existing site elevation:

Now that we have two dimensional section cuts, we can estimate the area to be cut and filled in the site. On
each section cut the desired land topography is represented as a "cut line" overlaid on the line of the existing
land topography. This gives us two lines on every section, and shows us how much of the existing area must
be removed or added. Then, the area between these lines is calculated to find the cut and fill areas for each
section.

The diagrams below represent the area between the existing elevation line and the cut line. First, we mark the
land that must be added to the site to achieve our desired land topography. This area is marked "fill."
Next, we mark the land that must be removed from the site to achieve our desired land topography. This area
is marked "cut."

By combining the two diagrams, we can see begin to estimate how much land area must be cut from the site,
and how much land area must be filled in the site to level the site for construction.

Now, once the section areas have been found, we must account for the additional length of the site (the land
between the section cuts) to be able to estimate the volume of the land cut or filled. Finally, after computing
the necessary values we are able to determine not only how much land must be removed from or brought to
the site, but also where that land must be specifically taken from or brought to. Removing or adding land to
any site is a costly process, so it is important that our estimations be made as close to the existing conditions
as possible. Once we know how much land to cut or fill, and where to cut and fill it, work can begin to
properly level the site and construct our building.

 SITE AREA

The following activity uses the mathematical concepts of estimating area and volume to solve a realistic cut
and fill problem. Each two-dimensional section cut is overlaid with a grid to allow us to estimate the area
between the existing elevation line and the cut line.
To estimate area, we can divide the area under the curve into rectangles and then find the area of each
rectangle. Refer to the diagram below for the process of drawing rectangles. Consistency in drawing the
rectangles is very important to ensure proper balance between over and under estimation of area. Since all of
the intervals are the same width of 10ft, the only estimating that you will need to do is with the height of each
rectangle. For this exercise estimate the height to the nearest 2 1/2 feet (or 1/4 of the 10' X 10' square).

 By removing the grid lines, it is easy to see the areas of the rectangles that we will be estimating. Since
these rectangles will represent and overestimation in some parts, and an underestimation in others, we
will consistently draw our rectangles and not worry about the area between the lines that are missed.

 The diagrams below represent two different ways rectangles can be drawn between the existing
elevation line and the cut line. The process of left and right estimation indicate the direction in which
the rectangles that meet the curve and are drawn.
Differential Leveling

 The determination of elevations is called leveling. Measuring relative elevations changes is a

comparatively simply process. Precise and accurate control of relative elevations is critical to most
construction projects.

Leveling Instruments:
Levels:
A level consists of a high- powered telescope with a spirit level attached to it in such a manner that when its
bubble is centered, the line of sight is horizontal. The purposes of the telescope are to fix the direction of the
line of sight and to magnify the apparent sizes of objects observed.
The telescope has three main parts: the objective lens, the eyepiece, and the reticule (cross-hairs).
Leveling instruments (spirit levels) are of many in number as Wye level, Dumpy level, Builder’s level, self-
leveling or automatic level, and tilting level and laser levels and so-on. Their work is dependent on their type.
Leveling rods:
They can be in one piece (3m) telescoping (4m) or hinged (4m). Level roads are usually made of wood and
are graduated from zero at the bottom. They can be either self-reading rods that can read directly through the
telescope or target rods where the Rodman sets a sliding target on the rod and takes the reading directly.
Temporary adjustment of leveling
Three steps of temporary adjustment of the level at a station are necessary
1. Setting up instrument over a station
2. Leveling the instrument
3. Focusing to avoid parallax
1. Setting up instrument over a station:
Set up the tripod on firm and solid ground. The tripod head should be approximately horizontal.
On soft & smooth round use supports for the tripod legs such as stakes or a platform.
Never touch the tripod legs after adjustment.
1. Leveling the instrument:
In three- foot screw instrument
a) Turn the telescope until the bubble tube is parallel to two of the screws.
The bubble is centered by turning these two screws in opposite directions.
3
1 2
Bubble

1 2
3

b) The telescope is turned so that the bubble tube is perpendicular to a line through screws 1 and 2. The
bubble is centered by turning screw 3.
These steps are repeated until the bubble stays centered when the telescope is turned back and forth.
3. Focusing of telescope:
There is an apparent movement of the image of the object on the cross hairs called parallax. The surveyor
should carefully focus the objective lens until the image and the cross hair appear to be exactly in the same
place, that is, unit they do not move in relation to each other when the eye is moved back and forth.
Care of equipment:
The level: Before the level is removed from its box, the tripod should be set up in a firm position in such a
way that it is horizontal. After the instrument is taken from its box, it should be handled by its bas when it
is not on the tripod, and it should be carefully screwed on the tripod.
If possible, levels should not be set up on smooth hard surfaces, such as building floors, unless the tripod
points can be either set in indentations in the floor or firmly held in place by some other means, perhaps
by triangular frames made for that purpose.
If the objective lens or the eyepiece lens becomes so dusty that it interferes with vision, it may be cleaned
with a camel’s hair brush or with lens paper.
Leveling screws:- If the instrument is in proper condition, these screws should turn easily and it should
never be necessary to use more than the fingertips for turning them. When the level is taken indoors for
storing or outdoors for use, its screws and clamps should be loosened because severe temperature changes
may cause severe damage.
Level rod: - The level rod should never be dragged on the ground and its metal base should never be allowed
to strike rocks, pavement, or other hard objects, such use will gradually wear away the metal base and will
thereby cause leveling errors due to the cha

Instrument Adjustment:
The line of collimation: - The line of collimation of a level telescope is the line of sight defined by the optical
center of the object glass and the center of the cross-hairs. The line of sight or collimation is only horizontal
when a level in perfect adjustment is set up and leveled. The height of collimation is the same as height of
instrument.
When any level is set up and leveled and the line of sight on collimation is not truly horizontal it will be
lowered or raised above the true horizontal line.
The method dealing with these problems depends on the relative position of staff and level, and errors which
are related with this phenomenon are called collimation error.
The existence of collimation can be checked by using two-peg test.
Elevation of B=HI-FS
e1 e2
= Elevation of A+BS-FS BS FS

True el of B= Elevation of A+BS+e1+FS-e2

A 0 B
If the instrument is mid way between A and B
h AB= BS+e1-FS-e2 b/c e1=e2
h AB= BS – FS
Types of Spirit level:
There are several types of spirit leveling simple, differential, profile, cross-section, trigonometric, reciprocal
leveling etc.
Differential leveling:
Differential leveling is used to determine the elevation difference b/n points some distance apart. It requires a
number of instrument set ups along a given route. For each set up, a BS reading to BM or TP and FS reading
to a point in question should be made.
Methods of reducing level
i ) Height of collimation/instrument (HI) method
The desired elevation of a point is found by:-
1st adding BS Station BS IFS FS Remark in to given
benchmark to A 2.20 BM(RL-100m) find height of
instrument B 1.50 2.30 TP

2nd C 1.75 1.80 TP subtracting FS

from height D 1.30 1.50 TP of instrument
E 1.90
Example: F 1.80 Closing point
Solution Reduction of leveling
Station BS IFS FS HI RL Remark
A 2.20 - - 102.2 100.0 BM
0
B 1.50 2.30 101.4 99.90 TP
0
C 1.75 1.80 101.3 99.60 TP
5
D 1.30 1.50 101.1 99.85 TP
5
E 1.90 101.1 99.25
5
F 1.80 101.1 99.35 Closing Pt.
5
Arithmetic Check BS-FS = Last RL-First RL
6.75-7.40 99.35-100.00
=-0.650 = -0.650 OK!
ii) Rise and fall method
The rise or fall in the ground surface b/n successive rod readings is computed and used to determine elevation
of points. If there is a fall in ground surface the difference in elevation will be subtracted, and if there is a rise
in ground surface the difference in elevation will be added.

Let RL be reduced level and R be the staff reading

Then RLC = TBM = 100m above mean see level(MSL)
RLD = RLC + (RC – RD) RLF = RLE +( RE – RF)
RLE = RLC + (RC – RE) RLG = RLE + (RE – RG)
The Line of sight from the instrument at A is truly horizontal.It can be seen that the higher reading of D
i.e.2.50m indicates thatit is lower than C (TBM).
This can be written as; 1.50 – 2.50 = -1.0 indicates that fall from C to D.
Rise from C to E = 1.50 – 0.5 = +1.0
If the reduced level of TBM = RLC then;
RLD = RLC + (RC – RD) but RC – RD =fall
= 100.00 - 1.00 = 99.00m
RLD = RLC + fall
RLE = RLC + (RC – RE) but RC – RE = rise
= 100.00 + 1.00 = 101.00m
Example: in the given example above
Station BS IFS FS Ris Fall RL Remark
e
A 2.20 - - 100 BM
B 1.50 2.30 0.10 99.90
C 1.75 1.80 0.30 99.60
D 1.30 1.50 0.25 99.85
E 1.90 0.60 99.25
F 1.80 0.1 99.35
6.75 7.4 0.35 1.00 99.35
-7.40 -1.0 -100.0
-0.65 -0.65 -0.65
Applying arithmetic check
BS-FS=Rise-Fall=last RL-first RL

Clean work area

When you complete any task on a building site, you must clear your
work area to ensure the safety and convenience of your workmates,
other construction teams and the public. This process includes:
 recycling or disposing of any waste material
 cleaning, maintaining and storing equipment
 safely filing or storing plans, documents and records
 cleaning up the area.
Relevant legislation, regulations and job specifications
State and territory Regulations usually require a site to be kept and left in a clean, safe condition. The
tasks involved in setting out by level don’t produce a lot of clutter or rubbish but all construction workers
must know and follow the site policies and procedures for maintaining a tidy, organized and
Safe workplace including:
 clearing potential safety hazards
 safe waste disposal
 recycling of materials
 Maintenance and storage of tools and equipment.
 Inspection shall be carried out daily to ensure that sufficient workmen/women, tools and facilities are
provided to maintain the standard of hygiene.
 Final cleaning of the site and removal of all temporary facilities shall be carried out to approval at
completion of works.

Dispose, Reuse and Recycle waste materials

Disposing Removing and destroying or storing damaged, used or other unwanted domestic, agricultural or
industrial products and substances
Recycling means turning an item into raw materials which can be used again, usually for a completely new
product. This is an energy consuming procedure.
Reusing refers to using an object as it is without treatment. This reduces pollution and waste, thus making it a
more sustainable process.
Purpose
When looking into environmental sustainability

Waste
management

Construction projects create a lot of waste including general rubbish and used damaged or surplus
materials. All waste must be disposed of appropriately.
• Non-degradable substances and organic material like food and vegetation should
be disposed of at a landfill site.
•Left-over materials in good condition and in useable sizes or quantities can be salvaged.
• Used materials that can be repurposed or reprocessed can be recycled.
Note: Hazardous waste such as asbestos must be handled by removal specialists.

There are laws which outline how waste materials should be dealt with and large fines can be issued if
they’re not followed. Companies and contractors usually develop policies and procedures to make sure
that everyone on the building site complies with these requirements.

Maintenance of tools and equipment

Tools must be checked, maintained or, if necessary, repaired when a
job is completed to ensure they
Regular maintenance helps to preserve the quality of the tools, keep
them safe and extend their life. Doing a little maintenance each time
you complete a job or project can prevent costly and time-consuming
repairs or replacement.
You should complete the following procedures as routine maintenance
at the end of every task;
1. Wipe all tools to clear away dust or debris, and remove substances
like grease or sap.
2. Pay particular attention to tools that have been used in wet or damp conditions.
3. They should be cleaned with an oily rag to prevent rust and, if rust exists, it should
4. be removed with steel wool or a wire brush.
5. Sharpen blades and replace damaged or worn components.
6. Lubricate moving or adjustable parts of tools to allow smooth, continuous operation. Lubrication
reduces friction between moving parts, helps them to last longer and makes the machine more
energy efficient.
7. Store tools and equipment properly so that they’re protected against weather and theft, easy to find
when needed and not a hazard to yourself, other workers or members of the public.
Clearing the site
Keeping the site tidy is an essential part of maintaining a safe workplace. Tools, equipment and materials are
all potential hazards to site workers and the public and should always be properly organized and stored when
they’re not being used. The pegs, pickets, string lines and profiles you place during a leveling task can be
safety hazards and should be removed once there’s been sufficient progress on the construction, and the
position, size and shape of the building are well established.