A Treatise on Engineering Field-Work
Comprising the Practice of Surveying, Levelling, Laying Out Works, and Other Field Operations

Written by a practising civil engineer, this two-volume guide to surveying and levelling appeared in revised form in 1840–2.

Peter Bruff (Author)

9781108071543, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 August 2014

142 pages, 20 b/w illus. 3 maps
21.6 x 14 x 0.8 cm, 0.19 kg

In the 1840s, the civil engineer Peter Bruff (1812–1900) designed what was then the largest brick structure in Britain, the 1,000-foot-long Chappel Viaduct in Essex. He went on to become a railway entrepreneur and developer, and was responsible for the creation of the resort town Clacton-on-Sea, where he also designed many of the buildings. In this illustrated guide, first published in 1838 and here reissued in the revised and expanded two-volume second edition of 1840–2, he discusses the theory and practice of surveying (calculating the accurate position of points in the landscape) and levelling (calculating the accurate height of points). Volume 2 covers levelling; Bruff gives a brief overview of the theory, then describes the typical equipment used. By discussing such examples as the levelling of a projected railway route, he explains what information should be recorded, and how to avoid common errors of technique that affect accuracy.

1. Theory of levelling, gravity and the plumb-line
2. Levelling
3. Directions for taking trial sections
4. Ascending and descending levels
5. Levelling for cross sections with the plotting on plan and main section
6. Advice on levelling instruments
Tables of curvature and refraction
Tables of slopes and inclines.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX]