Plumb, Level, Square & Location, Location, Location!
Date Posted: January 17, 2017
Posted In: Ideas,
From AGCMO: Regardless of what is being built, a bridge, highway, a convenience store, subdivision homes with streets and sewers, sports fields, high rise buildings…these 4 components of plumb, level, square and location are critical. There is a vast array of survey instrumentation available starting with consumer grade at your hardware store, so it can be confusing. Today’s contractors utilize a lot of technology to build with and continually check for accuracy for the following;
Total stations and GPS/GNSS systems once used mostly by surveyors are now commonplace in construction. These can carry a digital blueprint of job to be imported into a small field computer, with elevations, control points, building corners, critical points to measure, etc. Complex shapes and changes in elevation are now easier to build with total stations and GPS.
This technology measures distance, angle and elevations at the same time, comparing to your design. Information is recorded as you work, and job site measurements are easily shared with office personnel or other contractors as needed. The robotic total stations allow 1 person to do layout usually with only a single setup of equipment. Also, GPS/GNSS systems require only 1 person using it in the field. Complex shapes and changes in elevation are now easier to build with total stations and GPS. Total stations are more accurate than GPS, but require line of sight, can be used indoors and outside. Setting anchor bolts accurately would be an ideal application for a total station.
GPS/GNSS systems are used outdoors only, must have clear view of the sky since they are satellite based and because they are not limited to line of sight, can be used continually walking around buildings, or over a hill. Heavy foliage or “urban canyons” can be challenging for GPS. GPS works great for site work, and is used extensively on big earth moving equipment.
LASERS can be used to determine plumb and level, outdoors and indoors, often creating bright visible laser “chalk-lines”, making it simple to mark ceiling or wall locations, checking level for foundations.
TRANSITS are optical instruments requiring 2 people, used measure angles, shoot determine straight lines, and building corners, and check for plumb and square.
LEVELS are optical instrument requiring 2 people, and measure elevations.
To sum it up, the best tool for your job depends on the type of job, and your future scope of work.
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Contact:
Terri Rollings, Construction Sales. Email: constructionstl@seilerinst.com
Seiler Instrument – Geospatial/Design Solutions Division. http://www.seilerinst.com