Surveys as accurate as those done by

conventional methods are completed more

quickly by the use of a new type of northseeking gyro attachment for theodolites.

Gyro Attachment For Theodolites

Simplifies Surveying Procedures
0 . RELLENSMANN and E. P. PFLEIDER

n the May 1959 issue of 8 E the authors reported on the gyrotheodolite as used for determining azimuths in surface and underground work.
Further research has led to the development of
a new type of gyro instrument, the band-suspended
gyro attachment, which is essentially an upset gyro
attached to the top of a theodolite. The new gyro
attachment is light enough to be mounted on any
angle-measuring instrument if the design of the
telescope standard permits.
Gyrotheodolite units have been used to transfer
meridian lines underground in the Coeur d'Alene
mining district, although they have not ,been used
extensively in the U.S. In other parts of the world,
however, they have been adopted as the standard
surveying instrument by mining engineers.
In addition to underground work, the gyrotheodolite has been used in geodetic surveys, surface

mines and in applied geophysics to determine magnetic declinations.

OTTO RELLENSMANN is Professor Emeritus, Clausthal Mining

Academy, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, West Germany. Co-author EUGENE P. PFLEIDER, SME member, is Professor of Mineral Engineering, School of Mineral and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.

A free gyro is a symmetrically constructed

rotor which is able to turn about all three
axes and whose center points of gravity and rotation coincide. In the case of a north-seeking gyro
there is no such coincidence between the centers
of gravity and rotation because a heavy mass of
lead is placed at the bottom of the gyro-containing ball. The distance between the center of gravity
and the center of rotation is known as the metacentric height.
The most interesting phenomenon in gyro-application is precession (Fig. 1). If we apply a force
K on the end of a non-spinning gyro, the end
of the axis moves downward, while in the case of
a spinning gyro the axis turns perpendicular in
thehorizontal plane according to the force parallelogram 1-2-3. The horizontal velocity vector 1-2
depends on the magnitude of the angularvelocity
Of the spinning gyro, while the horizontal velocity
vector 2-3 depends on the magnitude of K. There-

72-MINING

ENGINEERING, M A R C H 1968

Theory and Principle

SOCIETY OF

per hr on the equator. At other latitudes the change

after one hour is 15" x cos latitude so that a
north-seeking gyro is only applicable in latitudes
between the equator and 80".
The meridian direction moment, R (gm cm' x
sec") , at latitude Q amounts to:
where

R=I.w.n.cos+-sins

C11

I = moment of inertia
o = angular velocity of

of gyro, gm cma
gyro, radians per sec
n = angular velocity of earth, radians per sec
4 = latitude of observation
= angle of precession from north, degrees
(Y

The swing time, T, of the oscillations is given

by the following equaton:
Fig. I-By applying a force K to a spinning gyro, a mouement perpendicular to K results and is equal to the 1-3
uector.

where
fore, 1-3 is the resultant vector that causes the
end of the axis to move perpendicular to K.
If the earth is considered to be a very big gyro
that turns around its axis once every 24 hours,
and on this big gyro we are operating our
small gyro-instrument, the problem of making this
small gyro-instrument north-seeking consists of
arranging it as a suspended pendulous gyro (Fig. 2 ) .
With the earth rotating from west to east, the axis
of the spinning gyro is directed in an east-west
direction (position I ) . When the plumbline has
changed 15 degrees, the gyro-axis tends to keep
the same position as in I (shown in position 11)
because of its inertia. But the precession due to
the gravity force F compels the gyro-axis to turn
to a north-south orientation, which is shown in
position 111. If the inertia of the system is great
enough, the axis of the gyro-wheel will overshoot
the meridian, and therefore cause the axis to precess
in the opposite direction. According to the laws
of dynamics, it can be easily proved that these
oscillations are in the form of weakly damped,
simple harmonic motion.
The oscillations around true north, as effected
by the earth's rotation, are summarized as follows:
There is no change in the direction of plumbline
on the North Pole but there is a change of 15"

m = mass of pendulum, gm
a = metacentric height, cm
g = acceleration of gravity, cm per secZ
The form of oscillations of the gyro-axis is elliptical, with the major axis being in the horizontal
plane, the minor axis in the vertical plane and
a ratio between the two axes of about 30: 1. For
the north determination only five or seven east
and west reversal points are observed and then,
by use of the Schuler-mean, the north position
is calculated.

Historical Development
In April 1947, Rellensmann began consrtuction
of a meridian-indicator that would not have the
disadvantage of preceding instruments, namely, extreme sensitivity to outside disturbances such as vibration (Fig. 3 ) . The gyro a, which has an angular
momentum of approximately 50 x 10' gm cm"
per sec is installed in a sphere b, which carries
a heavy leadmass on its lower side in order to
decrease swing time. The gyro-sphere is surrounded
by an envelope-sphere c, and both spheres have
electrical contacts opposite each other. By means
of a Wheatstone bridge it is possible to give the
envelope-sphere the same direction, which is ob-

Fig. 2-By arranging it as a suspended

pendulous gyro, the gyro-instrument becomes north seeking. The phenomenorl
of precession, illustrated hme, form9
the basis for the operation of the gyro
attachment for theodolites.

M I N I N G ENGINEERS

M A R C H 1968, M I N I N G ENGINEERING-73

a theodolite. The basic features of this instrument

are presented in Table 1.

gyro

gyro sphere

envelope sphere

electrical contacts for

Gyro-Theodolite Unit

off-take of direction
a

divided circle

alidade

Fig. 3-A cross-section of the first Clausthal meridian indicator illustrates the basic constr~cctionof the gyro-attachment.

tained by peaks of an electrical tone signal, as

that indicated for the gyro-sphere. The envelopesphere can be rotated around its vertical axis and
has a plate on top for mounting the theodolite.
Optical reading of direction by an auto-collimation telescope, and introduction of band-suspension
were important subsequent refinements.
Through the work of McLelland and Rellensmann, an instrument called the Gyrotheodolite KT1 (McLelland) was developed, and has been successfully used in several areas.I3 Subsequent modification, termed the "Rellensmann System," has
led to a new instrument design characterized by
having a small upset gyro attached to the top of
a

upper band c l a m p

lower band c l a m p

Index

mast

gyro

v-mark

lracer poml

magnnl~er

forced cenlerlng

locknng

Fig. 4-This sectional view of the gyro attachment indicates

the mirror ~ y s t e m b y which the wing-amplitudes of the
gyro axis are obserced. Inset shows V-mark image.
74-MINING

ENGINEERING, MARCH 1968

The normal theodolite is modified with a bridge

mounted on the telescope standards and the range
of the horizontal tangent screws is increased. Three
centering pins in the bridge insure that the gyro
will always have the same position in relation to
the line of sight of the telescope. Since the telescope can still be transited below the bridge, the
instrument is not prevented from carrying out its
normal duties.
The north-seeking gyro system (Fig. 4) hangs
on a thin suspension tape with the result that the
spin axis of the gyro is kept in the horizontal
plane and, under the influence of the earth's spinning motion, takes up a slightly damped oscillation
symmetrical to the meridian plane. A gyro mark,
forming part of the optical system connected to
the gyro mechanism, allows observations of the
oscillations in relation to a reading index attached
to the instrument. By observing a series of oscillation turning points and reading the theodolite horizontal circle each time, or by timing the transit
through a line of sight previously oriented approximately in the north direction, the geographic or
true north direction is obtained by the gyro. The
two measuring methods commonly used are simple
and make complicated calculations unnecessary so
that the final determination is completed by the
end of the observation.

Measuring Procedure
The methods of operating the gyro theodolite
(Rellensmann System) are described in detail by
Schwendener4 and in the manuals prepared by the
manufacturers of the instrument. A brief description of the procedures, however, will assist in understanding the simple techniques involved.
The telescope is preoriented towards the north
by a so-called "quick method", and subsequently
oriented precisely, either by the "transit method,"
or the "reversal point method" described below.

The Quick Method

As the time of an oscillation period remains constant within a large area, and as that time can be
calculated in advance for each geographical latitude, it is possible to obtain an approximate orientation in a few minutes with the aid of a stopwatch
fitted with an independently controlled trailing
second hand.
The Transit Method
The alidade is clamped with the telescope in
the approximate orientation obtained by the Quick
Method described above. With the stopwatch, the
transit of the gyro mark through the center of the
index (Fig, 4) is timed and, in addition, the amplitude of the oscillation is read on an auxiliary scale.
Corrections are then applied to the approximate
orientation, proportional to the amplitude and also
to the time difference in oscillation periods to the
left and right of the index center. The proportional factor can be determined either empirically
SOCIETY OF

Table I. Basic Features of Fennel TK-3

Band-Suspended Gyro Attachment and
Wild T-16 Theodolite
POWER:
A synchrynous motor, 3 ph, 115 v
Power source-two 12 v batteries in series with transistorized
convertor at 400 CDS stabilized either bs tuning
- fork or ouartz
crystal
Consumption-0.3 A h (ampere hr) for a 30 min setup.
GYRO ATTACHMENT:
Inertia-0.18 x 103 gr cma
Impulse-1.8 x 160 gr cma per sec
Half period-4 min at 50' latitude

Gyro Theodolite in Surface Mining and Geodesy

THEODOLITE:
Erect image, fixed focus magnification of 28 diam and 16 mm
aperture.
Spirit level sensitivity-30
in. per 2 mm
TOTAL WEIGHT: 18 k g (40 1b)

or by calculation. Depending on the desired accuracy, the circle reading for the true north is derived
from three or more transits through the center of
the index.

The Reversal Point Method

The oscillating gyro mark is followed by means
of a continuous turning of the tangent screw, which
keeps it in the center of the V-shaped index. As the
gyro reaches the reversal point, it appears to stand
still and in this position the horizontal circle is
read. Depending on the desired accuracy, true north
is determined by observing three or more turning
points and the mean of the oscillation is computed
according to Schuler's Mean (Fig. 5).
The mean square error or standard deviation of
a true north orientation and the time required (including running up time) are as follows:
Quick Method
2 3 ' of arc in about 7 min.
Transit Method and Reversal Point Method
230" of arc in about 20 min.
This final adaptation of the gyro attachment to
the theodolite helped introduce this instrument
for numerous tasks in geodesy, mine surveying,
geophysical work and military applications.

Gyro Surveys in Underground Mining

In many cases orientation work in mines can
be done more accurately and economically with
Arnplltude

11

- horlzontel clrcle readlng for

reversal left (west1 or rlght (east1
of rnerldlan plane

Schuler mean
z , lntermedlate mean
2,-total mean
lndlcatlng relerence
bearlng corresponding to
true nonn

+il,+I.I+l.

21

$11, t 1 . 1 + 1 .
2

Z*

Fig. 5--The Schuler Mean is calculated b y the equations

shown here. The points I are the reuersal points obseroed
in the V-shaped index of the gyro-attachment.
M I N I N G ENGINEERS

the application of a north-seeking gyro. In transferring a bearing from the surface to the underground workings of a mine, usually one gyroscopic
determination of azimuth is made at each end of
the surface line and also one determination at each
end of the underground line. If the differences between the values on surface and underground range
within a certain limit, the transfer work is considered satisfactory.
Determining the true meridian is an important
task for the surveyor and usually has been done
by observing the bearing of the pole-star at its
greatest elongation. Observations on the pole-star
are less conveniently made than those on the sun,
but the calculations are simpler and accuracy is
much greater.
It is faster and more economical to solve this
task by using a gyro-attachment, and the accuracy
is high enough for all geodetic purposes. The gyromethod is particularly advantageous as it may be
used at all times and under all conditions, and the
whole procedure is rapid, involving virtually no
calculations.
It is not necessary to carry out observations at
each point of a long traverse when measuring distances and determining bearings because only every
second point need be occupied. Also the location
of new points by resection can be easily perfected
by using the gyro-attachment. Only two triangulation points are necessary for resection with the
gyro-theodolite, whereas three points must be
known when using the transit alone, thus simplifying calculations.

Gyro Application in Applied Geophysics

In applied geophysics the gyro-attachment is used
to determine magnetic declinations, i.e. the angle
between true and magnetic north, which can be
done with an accuracy of 1'. To determine this
angle, magnetic north is observed with a compass and true north with the gyro-attachment.
Using this method, and choosing a distance between
observation points of one mile, precise isogonic
charts can be drawn. This is much more accurate
than conventional isogonic charts, as they use ten
mile intervals between observations. In addition,
useful information can be obtained concerning the
disturbing magnetic layers within the earth's crust.
Torricos6 and Horst have reported on such work,
carried out on a large scale within northwest region in Germany. They state that this declination
method is a very valuable aid in geomagnetics
to solve geologiotectonic problems.
i5E

References
1 G. B. Lauf: The Gyrotheodolite and its Application in the Mining Industry of South Africa. Journal of the South A f ~ i c a nInstitute
of Mining and Metallurgy, 1963, pp. 349-386.
a A. Falter: The Gyrotheodolite and its Value in Modern Surveying Practice. The Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Bulletin, 1964,
PP. 413-420.
3 0. Rellensmann: Recent Application of the Gyrotheodolite in
Tunneling-Work in Underground-Workings and in Applied Geophysics. Mining Research, Pergamon Press, pp. 283-288.
LH. R. Schwendener: Methods and Practical Experience in the
Determination of True North with a Theodolite Gyro Attachment.
English translation of article in German published in Allgemeine
Ve7messungs-Nauchrichten, 4 (April 1966).
in the NorthM. Torricos: Results of ~eciinations:~easurements
west Harzregion. Dissertation Mining University Clausthal, 1965.

M A R C H 1968, M I N I N G ENGINEERING-75