parabolic road

Problem
A highway engineer must stake a symmetrical vertical curve where an entering grade of +0.80% meets an existing grade of -0.40% at station 10 + 100 which has an elevation of 140.36 m. If the maximum allowable change in grade per 20 m station is -0.20%, what is the length of the vertical curve?
A.   150 m
B.   130 m
C.   120 m
D.   140 m
 

Board Problem
A grade line AB having a slope of +5% intersect another grade line BC having a slope of –3% at B. The elevations of points A, B and C are 95 m, 100 m and 97 m respectively. Determine the elevation of the summit of the 100 m parabolic vertical curve to connect the grade lines.
 

Problem
A descending grade of 6% and an ascending grade of 2% intersect at Sta 12 + 200 km whose elevation is at 14.375 m. The two grades are to be connected by a parabolic curve, 160 m long. Find the elevation of the first quarter point on the curve.
 

Problem
A grade of -4.2% grade intersects a grade of +3.0% at Station 11 + 488.00 of elevations 20.80 meters. These two center gradelines are to be connected by a 260 meter vertical parabolic curve.

1. At what station is the cross-drainage pipes be situated?
2. If the overall outside dimensions of the reinforced concrete pipe to be installed is 95 cm, and the top of the culvert is 30 cm below the subgrade, what will be the invert elevation at the center?

Vertical Parabolic Curve
Vertical curves are used to provide gradual change between two adjacent vertical grade lines. The curve used to connect the two adjacent grades is parabola. Parabola offers smooth transition because its second derivative is constant. For a downward parabola with vertex at the origin, the standard equation is