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Length of tangent, T
Length of tangent (also referred to as subtangent) is the distance from PC to PI. It is the same
distance from PI to PT. From the right triangle PI-PT-O,
External distance, E
External distance is the distance from PI to the midpoint of the curve. From the same right triangle
PI-PT-O,
Middle ordinate, m
Middle ordinate is the distance from the midpoint of the curve to the midpoint of the chord. From
right triangle O-Q-PT,
Length of curve, Lc
Length of curve from PC to PT is the road distance between ends of the simple curve. By ratio and
proportion,
An alternate formula for the length of curve is by ratio and proportion with its degree of curve.
SI units: 1 station = 20 m
Degree of curve, D
The degree of curve is the central angle subtended by an arc (arc basis) or chord (chord basis) of
one station. It will define the sharpness of the curve. In English system, 1 station is equal to 100 ft
and in SI, 1 station is equal to 20 m. It is important to note that 100 ft is equal to 30.48 m not 20 m.
Arc Basis
In arc definition, the degree of curve is the central angle angle subtended by one station of
circular arc. This definition is used in highways. Using ratio and proportion,
Chord Basis
Chord definition is used in railway design. The degree of curve is the central angle subtended
by one station length of chord. From the right triangle shaded in green color,
Impact factor
Recall that
But
and
, thus
For the above formula, v must be in meter per second (m/s) and R in meter (m). For v in
kilometer per hour (kph) and R in meter, the following convenient formula is being used.
Using the above formula, R must be in meter (m) and v in kilometer per hour (kph).
4. 3.87 m
Solution
Length of offset x:
[ B ] answer
1. 203.74 m
2. 253.72 m
3. 226.94 m
4. 214.67 m
Solution
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[C]
answer
Solution
[D]
answer
PC = point of curvature
PT = point of tangency
PI = point of intersection
I = angle of intersection = I1 + I2
= 180 I
Reversed Curve
Reversed curve, though pleasing to the eye, would bring discomfort to motorist running at
design speed. The instant change in direction at the PRC brought some safety problems. Despite
this fact, reversed curves are being used with great success on park roads, formal paths,
waterway channels, and the like.
TS = Tangent to spiral
SC = Spiral to curve
CS = Curve to spiral
ST = Spiral to tangent
LT = Long tangent
ST = Short tangent
Ls = Length of spiral
PI = Point of intersection
I = Angle of intersection
p = Length of throw or the distance from tangent that the circular curve has been offset
X = Offset distance (right angle distance) from tangent to any point on the spiral
i = Deflection angle from TS to any point on the spiral, it is proportional to the square of its
distance
Length of throw:
Spiral angle from tangent to any point on the spiral (in radian):
At L = Ls, = s, thus,
Tangent distance:
External distance:
equation is
or
Recall from calculus that the first derivative is the slope of the curve.
The value of y' above is linear, thus the grade diagram (slope diagram) for a summit curve is
downward and linear as shown in the figure below. The second derivative is obviously constant
which is interpreted as rate of change of slope. This characteristic made the parabola the desirable
curve because it offers constant rate of change of slope.
PI = point of intersection of the tangents, also called PVI (point of vertical intersection)
L = length of parabolic curve, it is the projection of the curve onto a horizontal surface which
corresponds to the plan distance.
S1 = horizontal distance from PC to the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
S2 = horizontal distance from PT to the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
h1 = vertical distance between PC and the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
h2 = vertical distance between PT and the highest (lowest) point of the summit (sag) curve
Note that the principles and formulas can be applied to both summit and sag curves.
Other formulas
The cross-drainage pipe should be at the lowest point of the curve. Stationing of the lowest point
indicated as point A in the figure:
Elevation of PC:
[C]
answer
Board Problem
A grade line AB having a slope of +5% intersect another grade line BC having a slope of 3% at B.
The elevations of points A, B and C are 95 m, 100 m and 97 m respectively. Determine the elevation
of the summit of the 100 m parabolic vertical curve to connect the grade lines.
1. 98.32 m
2. 99.06 m
3. 97.32 m
4. 96.86 m
Solution
Horizontal distance between A and B = (100 - 95)/0.05 = 100 m
Horizontal distance between B and C = (100 - 97)/0.03 = 100 m
[B]
answer