Curve Ranging is a surveying technique used to establish the alignment of a curve.
Terms used in Curve Ranging:
Alignment: The geometric representation of the planned route or path of a road or railway.
Arc: A portion of a curved line between two points, e.g., arc AB.
Back Tangent (T): A straight line connecting one end of an arc to the previous tangent, e.g., line T1-A.
Chord (C): A straight line connecting the ends of an arc, e.g., line AC.
Curvature (K): The measure of how sharply a curve bends, expressed as the reciprocal of the radius (1/R).
Deflection Angle (D): The angle between the back tangent and the forward tangent at the curve's midpoint, e.g., angle AOB.
External Distance (E): The perpendicular distance from the chord to a parallel tangent line, e.g., distance EB.
Forward Tangent (T): A straight line connecting one end of an arc to the subsequent tangent, e.g., line BO.
Intersection Angle (I): The angle between the back tangent and the forward tangent, e.g., angle T1-A-T2.
Long Chord (L): The straight line connecting the points where the arc intersects the tangents, e.g., line AT2.
Mid-Chord (M): The straight line connecting the midpoints of the arc and the chord, e.g., line HM.
Middle Ordinate (O): The perpendicular distance from the mid-chord to the arc, e.g., distance HO.
Offset (O): The perpendicular distance from a point on the curve to a tangent line, e.g., distance BO.
Point of Curve (PC): The point where the curve begins to deviate from the back tangent, e.g., point A.
Point of Tangent (PT): The point where the curve ends and the forward tangent begins, e.g., point B.
Radius (R): The distance from the center of a curve to any point on the curve, e.g., OA = OB.
Stationing: A system of distance measurement along the alignment, usually starting from a reference point.