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Preparation of land for any use beyond its natural condition involves
changing the landform by grading.
F il
Failure to maintain
i i naturall drainage
d i systems can cause flooding,
fl di accelerate
l erosion,
i
undermine foundations and damage desirable vegetation.
Grading should be done in sympathy with the natural setting and have to be worked
within natural constraints
constraints.
The soil itself will directly determine what can and cannot be done, especially
when the budget will not permit replacing or extensively modifying the soil.
SOIL PROFILE
Some projects require a knowledge of the soil as a growth medium while others may be
concerned with regional land stability.
The basic tool used to record and display information about the land form is a
topographic map.
MAP SCALES
Maps can be classified as large scale or small scale.
The large scale map is used for site specific work that requires fine detail.
The small scale map is used for a general data display covering large land areas.
Rough grading can be achieved by small scale maps but for finished grading plans large
scale maps are a necessity.
The three dimensional land form is represented by two dimensional graphic techniques.
The oldest method used to represent land form is called hachures.
Contour lines
The most popular method of representing land
form is the use of contour lines.
Then if the object is represented in plan, the lines show up as contour lines
p g a vertical change
representing g in elevation of one foot between the two lines.
A the
As h elevations
l i are important
i to visualize
i li the h final
fi l form
f off a structure, land
l d form
f can be
b
studied using drawings representing the vertical configuration. The drawings used for this
i called
is ll d profile
fil or sections.
ti
The plane of a section must be clearly shown on the plane and labeled
labeled.
The section sheet is prepared with the vertical elevation increments labeled on both the
sides of the sheet and the horizontal dimensions to be indicated.
The scales horizontal and vertical are clearly labeled. It is common to exaggerate the
vertical scale by five to ten times when doing most sectional drawings that involve land
form.
The points where the contour lines intersect the plane of section are projected down
to the appropriate elevation line on the sectional drawing. When it is not possible or
convenient to project directly, a tick-sheet is used to transfer the information.
The points are then connected with a smooth free hand line to depict the vertical
configuration of the surface.
Then identify focal points such as buildings towers power lines or other man made
objects that will help to stay oriented.
oriented
The contour pattern that describes a particular land form is referred to as the
contour signature.
g
Steep slopes should generally be avoided for development since extensive grading will
probably be required.
In addition any modification of the surface vegetation will accelerate erosion and
increase runoff.
Co ou s that indicate
Contours d c e a ridge
dge oor a dep
depression
ess o will
w always
w ys cclose.
ose. If you ccross
oss a 50ft
contour uphill then you must cross another 50ft contour downhill