Appraising Reflectorless Total Station Instruments

A number of retroreflectors of various types were used to appraise the performance of reflectorless total stations as exemplified by a Leica TCR-1102 total station. For this purpose, a carefully-established geodetic test line was measured using these retroretlectors. Grand-pooled root-mean-square er...

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Main Authors: Abdullah S. Alsalman, Abdullah Elsadig Ali, Fahad A. Abanmy, Emad Eddin Abdou Ibrahim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2010-01-01
Series:Journal of King Saud University: Engineering Sciences
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101836391830504X
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author Abdullah S. Alsalman
Abdullah Elsadig Ali
Fahad A. Abanmy
Emad Eddin Abdou Ibrahim
author_facet Abdullah S. Alsalman
Abdullah Elsadig Ali
Fahad A. Abanmy
Emad Eddin Abdou Ibrahim
author_sort Abdullah S. Alsalman
collection DOAJ
description A number of retroreflectors of various types were used to appraise the performance of reflectorless total stations as exemplified by a Leica TCR-1102 total station. For this purpose, a carefully-established geodetic test line was measured using these retroretlectors. Grand-pooled root-mean-square errors were then computed and converted to accuracy values. The results show that smooth white ceramic and porcelain tiles gave accuracy values of the order of 7mm in 100m with linear fractional errors better than 1/13000. These were followed by smooth and rough wooden white surfaces where grand-pooled r.m.s.e. values of around 9.5mm were obtained (corresponding to fractional errors better than 1/8000). Next come the smooth black surfaces (ceramic and porcelain tiles and the wooden reflector) and the white-painted steel reflector with corresponding accuracy figures of around 10 mm and fractional error of around 1/7500. Intermediate accuracy figures (1 /3000 – 115000) were obtained with the concrete block, the white zinc sheet and the unpainted steel bracket. Markedly lower accuracy was obtained with the rest of the reflectors, namely, the rough black wooden surface and the brown mud sheet. It is clear then that the first two groups gave results better than or similar to those quoted by the manufacturer i.e. around ± 10 mm in 80 m. This range of accuracy is commensurate with a number of civil engineering and architectural surveys. Other retroretlectors gave markedly lower accuracy figures. However, even those low figures could serve the purpose of some applications where stringent measuring precision levels are not sought or are not of paramount importance. Keywords: Accuracy, Retlector, EDM
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spelling doaj.art-0e914c4824414461923baaa28a1bcf0e2022-12-21T19:03:25ZengElsevierJournal of King Saud University: Engineering Sciences1018-36392010-01-0122118Appraising Reflectorless Total Station InstrumentsAbdullah S. Alsalman0Abdullah Elsadig Ali1Fahad A. Abanmy2Emad Eddin Abdou Ibrahim3Civil Engineering Department, King Saud University, King Saud University, Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaCivil Engineering Department, King Saud University, King Saud University, Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaCivil Engineering Department, King Saud University, King Saud University, Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaCivil Engineering Department, King Saud University, King Saud University, Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaA number of retroreflectors of various types were used to appraise the performance of reflectorless total stations as exemplified by a Leica TCR-1102 total station. For this purpose, a carefully-established geodetic test line was measured using these retroretlectors. Grand-pooled root-mean-square errors were then computed and converted to accuracy values. The results show that smooth white ceramic and porcelain tiles gave accuracy values of the order of 7mm in 100m with linear fractional errors better than 1/13000. These were followed by smooth and rough wooden white surfaces where grand-pooled r.m.s.e. values of around 9.5mm were obtained (corresponding to fractional errors better than 1/8000). Next come the smooth black surfaces (ceramic and porcelain tiles and the wooden reflector) and the white-painted steel reflector with corresponding accuracy figures of around 10 mm and fractional error of around 1/7500. Intermediate accuracy figures (1 /3000 – 115000) were obtained with the concrete block, the white zinc sheet and the unpainted steel bracket. Markedly lower accuracy was obtained with the rest of the reflectors, namely, the rough black wooden surface and the brown mud sheet. It is clear then that the first two groups gave results better than or similar to those quoted by the manufacturer i.e. around ± 10 mm in 80 m. This range of accuracy is commensurate with a number of civil engineering and architectural surveys. Other retroretlectors gave markedly lower accuracy figures. However, even those low figures could serve the purpose of some applications where stringent measuring precision levels are not sought or are not of paramount importance. Keywords: Accuracy, Retlector, EDMhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101836391830504X
spellingShingle Abdullah S. Alsalman
Abdullah Elsadig Ali
Fahad A. Abanmy
Emad Eddin Abdou Ibrahim
Appraising Reflectorless Total Station Instruments
Journal of King Saud University: Engineering Sciences
title Appraising Reflectorless Total Station Instruments
title_full Appraising Reflectorless Total Station Instruments
title_fullStr Appraising Reflectorless Total Station Instruments
title_full_unstemmed Appraising Reflectorless Total Station Instruments
title_short Appraising Reflectorless Total Station Instruments
title_sort appraising reflectorless total station instruments
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101836391830504X
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