Plumbing Up Steel Columns

[070909]

I am a setting out engineer and am being pushed more towards construction aspect of engineering at work(used to be civils) and was looking for advice on the best/easiest way to plumb up steel columns prior to grouting.I Am ok with aligning them onto grid.

 

[a2mfk]

Do you mean physically, as in using the leveler nuts hopefully installed under the base plates? Or do you mean how do you go about setting up a transit/laser etc to get your columns plumbed and aligned prior to erecting your horizontal steel?

 

[racookpe1978]

Careful. He might be running small vertical piping drain lines down the sides of his columns. 8<)

(I'm going to listen to the experts on this one - my work usually starts after the columns are in place, or in "perfectly vertical" artificially-correct 3D CAD columns.)

Real world? Haven't done much of that in placement of building columns.

 

[Zambo]

Are you talking about single storey of multi-storey.

If single storey of 3-5m I would start by setting them on shims to the correct alignment at the base plates and then using a spirit level (a long one that has been checked for accuracy). I would then carry out a further check with a theodolite.

If multi-storey then it is more complicated and the spirit level wouldn't achieve much especially between floors. In my days as a setting out engineer I would have used a theodolite, but I hear that vertical plumbing lazers are now in common use.

 

[070909]

Thanks for replys guys forgot to mention I would be checking columns after they had been shimmed and aligned onto grid by erectors and would be using total station to line in afterwards so i was wondering og the best way to plumb them up ie do i sight the top then measure the difference at the bottom (if any) with a tape measure.