Rankine's method
Encyclopedia
Rankine's method is a technique for laying out circular curves by a combination of chaining and angles at circumference, fully exploiting the theodolite
and making a substantial improvement in accuracy and productivity over existing methods.
Rankine's method is named for its discoverer William John Macquorn Rankine
at an early stage of his career. He had been working on railways in Ireland
, on the construction of the Dublin and Drogheda
line.
Theodolite
A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
and making a substantial improvement in accuracy and productivity over existing methods.
Rankine's method is named for its discoverer William John Macquorn Rankine
William John Macquorn Rankine
William John Macquorn Rankine was a Scottish civil engineer, physicist and mathematician. He was a founding contributor, with Rudolf Clausius and William Thomson , to the science of thermodynamics....
at an early stage of his career. He had been working on railways in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, on the construction of the Dublin and Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
line.