precise grading question 1

[sillylilintern]

I'm an intern with a land surveying/civil engineering firm in southern California. Can anybody please help me with the following acronyms and formula's to solve:

tc:
fs:
fl:
trw:
inv:
bw:
hp:
tg:
ff:
gb:
trf:
gft:

Any help would be GREAT!! Thank you for any replies!!

Brian

 

[CarlB]

These all appear to be abbreviations for identifying where survey shots were taken. Here are my guesses:

tc: Top of Curb
fs: ??
fl: Flow Line (as in a curb gutter)
trw: Top of Retaining wall
inv: Invert (inside bottom of pipe elevation)
bw: Bottom of wall
hp: High Point
tg: ??
ff: Finish Floor (elevation of building floor)
gb: Grade Break (a change in slope of the ground)
trf: ??
gft: ??

 

[PEinc]

If you are an intern, someone in the office should be training you and can help you with the requested information, including formulas. Why don't you ask your mentor?

 

[sillylilintern]

I guess it's a little intimidation. I want to make the best impression possible. Is asking too many questions to the project manager a bad thing? I just don't want him to think he made a mistake in hiring me.

 

[Focht3]

Ask. If s/he thinks poorly of you, then your mistake was in working for that firm.

Any PM worth his/her salt will recognize that drawing notations aren't taught in school -



Please see FAQ731-376 for great suggestions on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora. See faq158-922 for recommendations regarding the question, "How Do You Evaluate Fill Settlement Beneath Structures?"

 

[sillylilintern]

That is an interesting viewpoint. Because I am not finished with school, I was unaware that they didn't teach precise grading notations. I just figured I didn't take the course yet. My project manager is a nice guy so perhaps I was over reacting and just a tad paranoid that he would lose patience with me. I'm sure you all know what it was like for your first 'big' job. Thanks for the 'avant gard' advice. It'll definitely be taken into consideration.

 

[JPatten]

I agree with Focht3 on this. All of the interns that I have mentored over the years were always encouraged to ask any and all questions. Just remember the only stupid question is the question that was never asked.

 

[PEinc]

sillylilintern,

Yes, ask questions. BUT, before you ask, make a proper effort to find the answers yourself. Only when you can't find the answers in a reasonable time should you ask. In my opinion, one of the most important skills an engineer needs is the ability to find information needed to solve a problem. It looks like most, if not all, of the acronyms you asked about should be used on other plans around your office. Frequently, site plans have a standard legend which defines the acronyms. Good luck.

 

[cap4000]

Your question reminds me of my 1st job I had 30 years ago.
I was a draftsman/plotter of surveying field notes taken by surveying crews on many different projects. It was very difficult just understanding what they were writing down let alone there own abbreviations and short-cuts. Get yourself the Schaumns Intro to Surveying Book. The universal abbreviation "cya" stands for "Cover Your Ass" is missing from your post, as it sounds like working for your company must be done,Bigtime!!.I guess you know that. Surveying today is very computerized and thus can be very cryptic and confusing and requires patience learning. Hang in there. Good Luck.

 

[Grouser]

Don't be afraid to ask if you can't find the answer yourself. The smart person gains knowledge.

Another one you need for roadway construction is pgl, Profile Grade Line. The "reference" line from which most elevations are computed along the longitudinal profile, usually for a single roadway(there are two on a divided highway).
If you are in surveying, you must know HI, Height of Instrument, and IH, Instrument Height, for levelling data recording. You should be learning these in your surveying class although I don't know if these terms apply anymore with the Total Station equipment used now.

The instrument man can explain the term "beer leg" to you.

 

[BigH]

fs might be foresight.
Not sure of tg? tp is turning point - some here use cp.
bm - benchmark; tbm - temporary benchmark.

Now when all is said and done - the more important ones:

"bohica" - bend over here it comes again (give me a break - it came from the VN war era - The Constellation I believe - one of the squadrons got all the crap jobs).

"fubar" - fowled up beyond all recognition. Some change the first letter.

"snafu" - situation normal, all fouled up, ibid.,

"sitrep" situation report.

Now the above might note be truly surveying terms, but there use can be universally applied, I think.

 

[JBlmcc]

Hahaha - "Beer Leg". Haven't thought about that one in years.

Intern: ASK the questions. If someone at the company gives you a hard time for asking, it's time to move on.

 

[LHA]

I agree with all of CarlB's.

FS is Final Grade Stake...should only appear on final stakeout plans.

TG is Top of Grate.

GFT...did you misread GRT? GRT is Grate, have never seen a GFT.

TRF...have never seen that one. My guess is it is someone's creation for Top of Rock Foundation.

I think you would appear diligent enough to use these and even more diligent to admit you don't know what the remaining two are. I am always looking for a new person who is willing to admit they are a new person. Good luck in the baffling world of civil engineering.

 

[KRSServices]

My comment relates to the comments relating to your status as an intern. I have mentored many students and interns over my career, and my first comment to them was that there was no such thing as a dumb or silly question. There are however, many silly and dumb mistakes made as a result of failing to ask the question or assuming an answer (guessing).

Look at the responses you recieved so far. Many of them specific to you query regarding the symbols are quite varied and could possibly confuse you more. Since my background is municipal and highways, many of the symbols represent different things to me.

Since you are an intern, if you have not been exposed to the acronyms, how are you expected to know their meaning? The solution is to ask. Take a minute to ask the draftperson, the surveyor or a more senior member of the staff. Quite likely, they have a legend sheet which explains them already.

Again, if unsure, ask....never assume or guess.

KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[lbassler]

Hopefully you have already resolved your immediate questions about survey point descriptions. Surveyors usually have a list of all common topographic featues, with related codes or abbreviations that are eventually displayed in a drawing. Rather than learning the 10± abbreviations that you just encountered, you should requst a list of all survey point descriptors, which would make it so you don't have to ask again next time.

 

[kirkussent]

Here is Caltrans Staking Manual, It has all kind of terms and information thats good.
Kirkussent

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/geometronics/StakingManual12.pdf