Review Innovations CE Review April 2024 – Surveying 3

VERTICAL CURVES UNSYMMETRICAL VERTICAL CURVE

•A gradient is a dimensionless number. It is usually expressed Problem 6:
in percentages; (e.g., a road of +4% gradient rises 4 units An unsymmetrical parabolic curve connects a +4.2% grade and
vertically in 100 units horizontally). a -3.4% grade. The length of curve on the left side of the vertex
•Gradients rising from left to right are positive gradients and is 80 m and 110 m on the other side. If the stationing of the point
gradients falling left to right are negative. of intersection is 4+460 and its elevation is 145.2 m. Determine
the following:
Types of Vertical Curves a. Location of the summit from PT.
Summit Curves: Vertical Curves where the total change in b. Stationing of the summit.
gradient is negative. c. Elevation of the summit.
Sag Curves: Vertical Curves where the total change in
gradient is positive.
Problems for Practice:
Notes on Vertical Curves: 1. An underpass crossing a reinforced concrete bridge has a
•The length of parabolic curve L is the horizontal distance downward grade of -4% meeting an upward grade of +8% at the
between PC and PT. vertex with elev. 70 m and stationing 7+700 exactly underneath
•PI is midway between PC and PT. the centerline of the bridge having a width of 10m. If the
•The curve lies midway between PI and the midpoint of the minimum required clearance under the bridge is 5m and the
chord from PC to PT. elev. at the bottom of bridge is 78.10m, determine the length of
•The stationing of vertical curves is measured not along the parabolic curve that shall connect the two gradelines.
curve but along a horizontal line.
2. An unsymmetrical parabolic curve has a forward tangent of -
SYMMETRICAL PARABOLIC CURVE 8% and a backward tangent of +5%. The back tangent of the
curve on the left side is 40 m long while that of the right side is
Problem 1: 60 m long. PC is at Sta. 6+780 and at elevation 110 m. Determine
The back tangent with grade of +3.4 % and forward tangent with the elevation at Sta. 6+820.
grade of -4.8 % intersects at station 14+750 and elevation 76.3m.
The two tangents are connected by a 320 m parabolic curve. Situation 1: A vertical summit parabolic curve has a vertical
a. Find the location of the highest point from PC. offset of 0.375 m from the curve to the grade tangent at station
b. Compute the stationing of the highest point of the curve. 10+050. The curve has a slope of +4% and -2% grades
c. Determine the elevation of the highest point. intersecting at the PI. The offset distance of the curve at PI is
equal to 1.5 m. If the stationing of the PC is at 10+000,
Problem 2: 3. Compute the required length of curve.
A descending grade of 4.2% intersect an ascending grade of 3% 4. Compute the horizontal distance of the vertical curve turning
at station 11+488 of elevation 20.8m. These two gradelines are to point from the point of intersection of the grades.
be connected by a 260 m parabolic sag curve. 5. Determine the elevation of the vertical curve turning point if
a. Where should be the location of drainage pipe from PT? the elevation of PT is 86.42 m.
b. At what station is the cross-drainage pipe be situated?
c. If the outside dimension of the pipe to be installed is 95 cm 6. In a certain road construction undertaken by the Bureau of
and the top of the pipe culvert is 30 cm below the curve, what is Public Highways, it was decided to connect a forward tangent
the invert elevation? of 3% and back tangent of -5% by a 200 m symmetrical parabolic
curve. It was discovered that the grade intersection at station
Problem 3: 10+100, whose elevation is 100 m fall on the rocky section with
A descending grade of 6% and an ascending grade of 2% the exposed boulder at elevation 102.67 m. To avoid rock
intersect at Sta 12 + 200 whose elevation is at 14.375 m. The two excavation, the project engineer decided to adjust and construct
grades are to be connected by a parabolic curve, 160 m long. an unsymmetrical curve in such a way that the curve still jus
Find the elevation of the first quarter point on the curve. clear the rock without altering the position of PC and the grade
of the tangents. Determine the stationing and elevation of the
Problem 4:
new PT.
In a certain portion of on-going construction of Clark - Subic
road, a parabolic curve is designed to connect a +6% grade and
a -4% grade. The curve is to pass through point “P” the
stationing of which was 35+280 and the elevation is 198.13m. If
the grade intersection is at station 35+300 and the elevation is
200 m, determine the following:
a. Length of the curve.
b. Location of the summit from PT.
c. Elevation of summit. Answer Key:
1) 199.50 m
Problem 5: 2) 110.44 m
A grade of -3% is followed by a grade of +2% which intersects 3) 200 m
at station 10+250 and elevation of 100m. If the maximum change 4) 33.33 m
in grade per 20 m station is 0.20%, determine the following 5) 87.09 m
a. Length of parabolic curve that shall connect these two 6) 10+300.75;
gradelines. 106.02 m
b. Elevation of PC.
c. Elevation of a point on the curve @ Sta.10+250.
Review Innovations CE Review April 2024 – Surveying 3

SYMMETRICAL PARABOLIC CURVE

L
H= (g1 + g 2 )
8

x 2 (L / 2)
2

=
y H

UNSYMMETRICAL VERTICAL CURVE

L 1L 2
H= (g 1 + g 2 ) g 3 (L 1 + L 2 ) = g 1L 1 + g 2 L 2
2(L 1 + L 2 )