The Two Peg Test

Balance Method

To Determine the collimation error of a Level Instrument

 A few reminders: see levelling presentation

We will use convention that error is the result of the observed value minus the true value

It follows that the correction to the observed value then must have the opposite sign as the error

RR = Rod Reading
BS = Backsight RR
FS = Foresight RR
EL = Elevation
DEL = difference in elevation = BS – FS ( one setup) = ΣBS – ΣFS (involving a number of turns)
DEL = final EL – initial EL
H =H
Horizontal
i t l Di
Distance
t
Σ = summation sum of e.g. ΣBS = BS1 + BS2 + BS3 . . . + BSLast

Neglecting Curvature and refraction in 60m c+r

c r = 0.0002m
 Thee Level
eve Instrument
st u e t 2-Peg
eg Test
est
aeL/2=RR due to Collimation error

eL/2= error in RR in Horizontal distance L/2 Remember RR means Rod Reading

aL/2= what RR should be
1st setup @ Mid point 2nd setup Near Peg A
A RR=aeL/2
B
aeL/2
eL/2
Setup Level Instrument @ Mid Point
Horizontal Line
aL/2 of two pegs (A&B) that you have set
Approximately 60m is sometimes
used for L
A

B
At Mid Point

L/2 L/2
L
 1st setup @ Mid point 2nd setup Near Peg A
A RR=aeL/2
B RR=beL/2
aeL/2-beL/2

beL/2
eL/2
bL/2

L/2 L/2
L
Move the instrument as close to the A Peg as minimum focus will allow ( usually at most a
couple of paces, sometimes less)

L
Move the instrument as close to the A Peg as minimum focus will allow ( usually at most a
couple of paces, sometimes less) Lets call this distance d

1st setup @ Mid point 2nd setup Near Peg A

A RR=aeL/2 RR=aed
B RR=beL/2
aeL/2-beL/2
aed =RR due to collimation error over horizontal distance d
ed Error in RR over
horizontal distance d

ad =what RR should be

d
L
 1st setup @ Mid point 2nd setup Near Peg A
A RR=aeL/2 RR=aed
B RR=beL/2
aeL/2-beL/2

d
L
 1st setup @ Mid point 2nd setup Near Peg A
A RR=aeL/2 RR=aed
B RR=beL/2 RR=bed+L

aeL/2-beL/2 aed-bed+L bed+L

RR including Collim. Error
Collimation error in Horiz dist d+L ed+L

bd+L

What rod reading should be

A

d
L
 1st setup @ Mid point
A RR=aeL/2 = aL/2+eL/2
B RR=beL/2 = bL/2+eL/2
aeL/2-beL/2 = aL/2-bL/2 \ corrected Elevation difference =DEL

The error cancelled

aeL/2 beL/2
eL/2 eL/2
aL/2 bL/2

L/2 L/2
L
 2nd setup Near Peg A
A RR=aed = ad + ed = ad +ed
B RR=bed+L= bd+L + ed+L = bd+L + ed + eL
aed-bed+L ad-bd+L-eL = DELapp = DEL-eL

bed+L
aed =RR with error RR including Collim. Error
ed eL ed+L

ad =what RR should be What rod reading should be bd+L

DEL-DELapp= eL = collimation error in Hor. Dist L

A
i.e. first setup (mid point) results – 2nd setup results
=eL
B
The error over d+L (ed+l) = error over d (ed) + error over L (eL)
d (ed+L)=(ed)+(eL)
d+L
L
 DEL-DELapp= eL = collimation error in Hor. Dist L
i.e. first setup (mid point) results (RR@A–RR@B) – 2nd setup (Near A) results (RR@A-RR@B)
=eL = collimation error in Horiz. Dist. L
\ eL/L= collimation error per unit length = e1
Then –e1= correction to rod reading per unit of Horiz. Dist. = c
bed+L
aed =RR with error RR including Collim. Error
ed eL ed+L

ad =what RR should be What rod reading should be bd+L

Thus we could correct a RR for any Horiz. Dist. (H)

A
H*c = correction to RR

B
The error over d+L (ed+l) = error over d (ed) + error over L (eL)
d (ed+L)=(ed)+(eL)
d+L
L
 Example L = 60m

1st setup @ Mid point

A RR=0.700 = aL/2+eL/2
B RR=1.250 = bL/2+eL/2
0.700-1.250 = aL/2+eL/2-bL/2-eL/2 \ corrected EL diff = -0.550m

=DEL from A to B The error cancelled

0 700
0.700 1 250
1.250
eL/2 eL/2
aL/2 bL/2

A
DEL = -0.550m

L/2 L/2
L=60
Example
2nd setup Near Peg A
d=2m
A RR=0.900 = ad + ed = ad +ed
B RR=1.456= bd+L + ed+L = bd+L + ed + eL
0.900-1.456= -0.556 = ad+ed-bd+L-ed-eL = DELapp = DEL-eL

1.456
0.900 =RR with error RR including Collim. Error
ed eL ed+L

ad =what RR should be What rod reading should be bd+L

DEL-DELapp= eL = collimation error in Hor. Dist L

A
i.e. first setup (mid point) results – 2nd setup results
=eL
B
The error over d+L (ed+l) = error over d (ed) + error over L (eL)
d=2 (ed+L)=(ed)+(eL)
d+L
L=60
 DEL-DELapp = (-0.550)-(-0.556) = eL = collim. err. in L = 0.006m
i.e. first setup (mid point) results (RR@A–RR@B) – 2nd setup (Near A) results (RR@A-RR@B)
=eL = collimation RR error in Horiz. Dist. L
\ eL/L= collimation error per unit length = e1 = 0.006/60 = 0.0001m/m

Then –e1= correction to rod reading per unit of Horiz. Dist. = c = -0.0001m/m
bed+L
aed =RR with error RR including Collim. Error
ed eL ed+L

ad =what RR should be What rod reading should be bd+L

Thus we could correct a RR for any H

A
H*c = correction to RR

B
The error over d+L (ed+l) = error over d (ed) + error over L (eL)
d=2 (ed+L)=(ed)+(eL)
d+L
L=60
Example c = -0.0001m/m Correction to RR = H*c
2*(-0.0001)= -0.0002 = Cor. To RR aed
ad = 0.900 + (-0.0002) = 0.8998 0 0062
0.0062

bed+L=1.456
aed=0.900 =RR with error RR including Collim. Error
ed=0.0002 0.006=eL ed+L

What rod reading should be

ad =what RR should be = 0.8998
1.4498 = bd+L

62*( 0 0001)= -0.0062

62*(-0.0001)= 0 0062 = Cor.
Cor To RR bed+L
A bd+L=1.456 + (-0.0062) = 1.4498

B
The error over d+L (ed+l) = error over d (ed) + error over L (eL)
d=2 (ed+L)=(ed)+(eL)
d+L
L=60
Example
Corrected results
A ad = 0.8998
B bd+L= 1.4498 0 0062
0.0062

DEL = -0.5500 = ad-bd+L = corrected Elevation Difference

bed+L=1.456
aed=0.900 =RR with error RR including Collim. Error
ed=0.0002 0.006=eL ed+L

What rod reading should be

ad =what RR should be = 0.8998
1.4498 = bd+L
If adjusting x-hair (to this value)

A
DEL = -0.550

B
The error over d+L (ed+l) = error over d (ed) + error over L (eL)
d=2 (ed+L)=(ed)+(eL)
d+L
L=60
Corrections
involved in 1 HF*c=cHF
setup HG*c=cHG
Corrected RR @ F = f = fe + cHF = fe+H
HF*cc
Corrected RR @ G = g = ge + cHG = ge+HG*c
Remember DEL = BS - FS
DEL from F to G = f - g = fe - ge + ((HF – HG))*c

FS
BS
fe ge
Correction
g
@ HF=cHF f
Correction
@ HG=cHG
F

G
HF
HG
HF+HG
Corrections
involved in 1 DEL from F to G = f – g = fe – ge + (HF – HG)*c
setup Then in general For any setup
DEL = BScorrected – FScorrected = BSobserved – FSobserved + (Hto BS – Hto FS)*c
DEL = BScorrected – FScorrected = BSobserved – FSobserved + (imbalance)*c

For any section involving a number of turns (since linear)

DEL = ΣBScorrected–ΣFScorrected=ΣBSobserved–ΣFSobserved+(ΣHto BS – ΣHto FS)*c
FS
BS DEL = ΣBScorrected–ΣFScorrected=ΣBSobserved –ΣFSobserved+(total imbalance)*c
fe ge
Correction
g
@ HF=cHF f
Correction
@ HG=cHG
F

G
HF
HG
HF+HG
Correction
@ HF=cHF f
Correction
@ HG=cHG
F

G
HF
HG
HF+HG
Example HC=30.000m HD=70.000m

D
HC
HD
HC+HD
A

H1+H2