Cat® Grade Control for the D8T and D9T Track-Type Tractors 3D Caterpillar

Introduction

Vertical guidance is given to a design surface. If the operator cannot work to the design surface on the first pass, the operator can create a working surface that is above or below the design surface. A working surface is a temporary surface which is related to the original design. The types of working surfaces that are available depend on the type of design that is loaded. A working surface can be defined by one of the following methods:

• Design surface

• Predefined reference surface

• Layered lift surface (for "*.dc" road files only)

• Perpendicular lift surface

• Vertical lift surface

Note: Only one working surface method can be selected for guidance at any time. Vertical offsets can then be applied to any working surface.

Once the operator selects the appropriate working surface method, vertical guidance is provided to the working surface. The vertical offset is then relative to the working surface. Illustration 1 shows the relationship between the design surface, a working surface, and a temporary working surface created using a vertical offset.

Illustration 1	g01104985
Relationship between the Design Surface, a working surface, and a temporary working surface

Note: The vertical offset value is suitable for temporary offsets. These offsets define an immediate surface to be built. The vertical offset value should always reduce to zero to achieve the working surface.

The appearance of the "Vertical Offset Value" soft key depends on the working surface type that is currently selected. Refer to Table 1.

Selecting a Design Surface

Note: The software for the Cat Grade Control system automatically loads the last design that was used, if that design is present on the display.

In order to load a design, complete the following steps:

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Illustration 2	g02700240

1. From any guidance view, press the menu key.

   A screen that is similar to Illustration 2 appears.

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   Illustration 3	g01696814

2. Use the arrow keys in order to highlight "Select Design". Press the "OK" key.

   A screen that is similar to Illustration 3 appears.

3. Press the arrow keys to highlight the design that the operator wishes to use. Press the "OK" key.

   A dialog that is similar to Illustration 3 appears.

   Show/hide table

   Illustration 4	g02647881

4. Press the "OK" key in order to load the design. If the loaded design specifies only a single design surface, then the operator will be returned to the guidance view.

Selecting a 3D Line For Vertical Guidance

Illustration 5	g02647881

1. From the Select 3D Guidance Line dialog, move the cross-hairs to the 3D line that the operator requires.

   Use any of the following tools to move the cross-hairs:

   • To move the cross-hairs around the screen, use the arrow keys.

   • To zoom the current view in and out, press + or -.

   • To resize the current view to the immediate area around the cross-hairs, press Zoom Target.

   • To view all of the linework, press Zoom All.

   • To view the extents of the selected 3D line, press Zoom Selection.

   All linework for the design, including the site map and any avoidance zones, is shown in this dialog. The operator can only select a line that is a 3D line.

   Note: If several lines are grouped closely, press "Zoom Target" to zoom in for easier selection. Alternatively, move the cross-hairs to an area where the lines are more easily seen. To move the cross-hairs large distances across the screen, zoom out and then hold down an arrow key. This procedure allows the operator to move rapidly across the design.

   Show/hide table

   Illustration 6	g02647927

2. To select the 3D line for horizontal and vertical guidance, press Select. The line closest to the center of the crosshairs is selected. The selected 3D line appears as a thick red line. See Illustration 6.

3. Press "Set Width".

4. If required, use one or more of the following tools to specify the width of the design:

   1. Edit the "Design Width" field directly. To add or subtract 10 mm (0.39 inch) to or from the current width, press "+0.010" or "-0.010". To set the width to 2 m (6.56 ft), press "Default 2.000".

   2. To confirm the settings, press "OK" key. To exit without saving changes, press "Escape" key.

5. Press "Extend Length".

6. If required, to extend the line at one or both of the A and B ends, use one of the following tools:

   1. Edit the "Extend A" and/or "Extend B" fields directly. To add or subtract 500 mm (19.68 inch) to or from the current extension, press "+0.500" or "-0.500". To reset the extension to zero, press "Set 0.000".

   2. To confirm the "Extend 3D Line" settings, press "OK" key. To exit without saving changes, press "Escape" key. The Select 3D Guidance Line dialog appears.

7. To confirm the Guidance Line settings, press "OK" key. To exit without saving changes, press "Escape" key.

If the loaded design is a 3D Lines design, which may specify multiple design surfaces, the Select 3D Guidance Line dialog appears.

A 3D lines design contains one or more 3D lines. The 3D line that will be used for vertical guidance is selected using the "Select 3D Guidance Line" dialog. This dialog allows the operator to select a 3D line for horizontal and vertical guidance. One or more 3D lines are available for selection, but only one line can be selected at a time to give guidance. When the operator load a 3D lines design, the 3D line that is closest to the position of the machine is automatically selected.

Note: When the "Select 3D Guidance Line" dialog appears, the cross hairs appear in place of the machine icon. If the machine does not have a valid position, the cross hairs appear at the center of the plan view.

Selecting a different 3D line from a 3D Lines design

If the operator wants to select a new 3D line for guidance from the 3D Lines design that is currently loaded, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 7	g01296958

1. Press the "3D Line" soft key. The "Horizontal Offset" screen appears:

2. Press the "Alignment:" soft key.

   The "Guide to Alignment" screen will appear.

3. Press the arrow keys in order to highlight "3D Line".
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 8	g01296954

4. Press the "OK" key. The "Select 3D Guidance Line" screen appears.

5. Follow the steps outlined in "Selecting a 3D Line For Vertical Guidance" in order to select the 3D line that the operator requires.

Setting The Width of The 3D Line

The design surface defined by a 3D line depends on the extents of the design boundary. In order to set the width of the design, use the "Set Design Width" dialog.

In order to set the width of a 3D line design surface, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 9	g01296954

1. From the "Select 3D Guidance Line" dialog, press "Set Width". A screen that is similar to Illustration 9 appears.

   This dialog allows the operator to enter the width of the design surface defined by the selected 3D line. Vertical guidance is given to the entered design width. The design width creates the design boundary which appears as a gray line around the selected 3D line.

   Show/hide table

   Illustration 10	g01296950

2. Press arrow keys in order to enter the design width.

3. Press the "OK" key. The "Select 3D Guidance Line" dialog reappears.

Extending a 3D line

The design surface defined by a 3D line depends on the extent of the design boundary. The length of the design may be extended using the "Extend 3D Line" dialog.

In order to extend the length of the selected 3D line, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 11	g01296949

1. From the "Select 3D Guidance Line" dialog, press "Extend Length". A screen that is similar to Illustration 11 appears.

2. Perform one of the following functions:

   • Press the arrow keys in order to enter an extension to the end of the selected line identified with an "A"

   • Press "+0.500" or "-0.500" in order to increase or decrease the extension by 0.500 m.

   • Press "Set 0.000" in order to reset the extension to zero.

3. Press the next key and repeat Step 2 in order to enter an extension to the end of the selected line that is identified with a "B".
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 12	g01296971
   Graphical Selection screen (A) Extension to A (B) Extension to B

4. Press the "OK" key. The screen that is shown in Illustration 12 reappears:

   When an extension is applied to the selected 3D line, a tick mark appears on the 3D line to show where the extension starts. The Cat Grade Control system calculates guidance to the 3D line extension by extending the existing 3D line. The existing 3D line is extended with the same direction and grade as the last segment, and by the distance that the operator entered.

Creating a Working Surface

The working surface is set from the "Vertical Offset" dialog. To access the "Vertical Offset" dialog, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 13	g01296973

1. Press the "V. Offset" soft key. A "Vertical Offset" dialog that is similar to Illustration 13 appears.
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 14	g01296969

2. Press the "Working Surface" soft key in order to change the working surface. A dialog that is similar to Illustration 14 appears.

3. Press the "Working Surface" soft key.

4. The "Design Surface", "Reference Surface", "Layered Lift", "Perpendicular Lift", or "Vertical Lift" dialog appears when the operator presses the corresponding soft key. Depending on the type of design that is loaded, the following options may be available in the "Working Surface" dialog:

   "Design Surface" - This function is always available. The Design Surface is the default working surface when a design is loaded.

   "Reference Surface" - This function is only available if reference surfaces have been created for the design with the Grade Control software.

   "Layered Lift" - This function is only available if the current design surface is a ".DC" road design file.

   "Perpendic. Lift" - This function is always available.

   "Vertical Lift" - This function is always available.

   Press the "OK" key in order to accept the chosen working surface and return to the "Vertical Offset" dialog.

Selecting The Design Surface As The Working Surface

When a design surface is loaded, the design surface is the working surface. In order to set the design surface as the working surface, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 15	g01296969

1. From the "Working Surface" dialog, press the "Design Surface" soft key and then press the "OK" key in order to set the design surface as the working surface.
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 16	g01296945

2. The vertical offset value is used to set a temporary vertical offset that is above or below the current working surface.

3. Press the "OK" key in order to apply the vertical offset and return to the guidance screen.

   With the design surface selected as the working surface, the cross section view will show the following line:

   • The design surface appears as a red line.

   If a vertical offset is temporarily applied to the vertical lift, the cross section view will show the following lines:

   • The vertical offset appears as a red line.

   • The design surface appears as a black line.

Selecting A Reference Surface As The Working Surface

A design may contain any number of reference surfaces.

Reference surfaces are created in the office with the Grade Control software.

In order to set a reference surface as the working surface, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 17	g01296956

1. From the "Working Surface" dialog, press the "Reference Surface" soft key. A dialog that is similar to Illustration 17 appears. The dialog lists the reference surfaces that are available for the design.

   The value that is beside each reference surface indicates the distance above or below the design surface the reference surface is. A negative value indicates that the reference is below the original design surface. A positive value indicates that the reference surface is above the original design surface.

2. Press the arrow keys in order to highlight a reference surface.
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   Illustration 18	g01296961

3. Press the "OK" key in order to select the reference surface as the working surface and return to the "Elevation Offset" dialog.

   The name of the reference surface and the offset are shown in a dialog that is similar to Illustration 18.

4. The vertical offset value is used to set a temporary vertical offset above or below the current working surface.

5. Press the "OK" key in order to apply the vertical offset and return to the guidance screen.

Illustration 19	g02412836
Cross section view with a reference surface loaded. (1) Design Surface (2) Reference Surface (Compact 1) (3) User-Defined Name (Compact 1)

With a reference surface selected as the working surface, the cross section view and profile view will show the following lines:

• The reference surface appears as a red line. Refer to Illustration 19.

• The design surface appears as a light gray line. Refer to Illustration 19.

Illustration 20	g02412897
Cross Section view of a road with a Reference Surface loaded and a Vertical Offset. (4) Design Surface (5) Working surface (6) Vertical Offset (7) Reference Surface

If a vertical offset is temporarily applied to the reference surface, the cross section view will show the following items:

• The reference surface appears as a black line. Refer to Illustration 20.

• The design surface appears as a light gray line. Refer to Illustration 20.

• The vertical offset appears as a red line. Refer to Illustration 20.

• The vertical offset soft key indicates the selected reference surface name – in this example, "compact1" (reference surface names are assigned in the Grade Control software).

Setting A Layered Lift As The Working Surface

When building roads, the layered lift feature enables the operator to build a road to the full width of the side slopes in lifts. The lifts are a specified thickness. Layered lifts are useful when building up large fills or cutting down cuttings.

About Layered Lifts

Note: The layered lift only works for road files with a .dc format.

The Cat Grade Control system uses a layered lift to define a working surface that is relative to the currently loaded road design. The Cat Grade Control system calculates the layered lift as shown in the following Illustrations.

Illustration 21	g01107581
Master alignment - lowered

The value that is entered as the layered lift is used to raise or lower the master alignment of the road. See Illustration 21.

Illustration 22	g01107582
First elements

The first nonvertical design elements on the left and right sides of the master alignment are extended until the original design surface is intersected. See Illustration 22.

Illustration 23	g01107583
Working surface

Illustration 23 shows the case where the road surface needs to be built up (that is, the side slopes set to fill). In this case, the layered lift value will be negative.

Illustration 24	g01107584

When the operator is cutting down to the road surface, the process is similar except that the operator enters the lift height above the master alignment (that is, a positive layered lift). See Illustration 24.

Creating a Layered Lift

To create a layered lift for use as the working surface, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 25	g01296947

1. From the "Working Surface" dialog, press the "Layered Lift" soft key. Refer to Illustration 25.

   Note: The "Layered Lift" dialog has two different diagrams according to if the road side slopes are set to cut or fill. In this example, the side slopes are set to cut.

2. Press the "OK" key in order to select a layered lift as the working surface and return to the "Elevation Offset" dialog.

3. Press the next key until the "Layered Lift" field is highlighted.
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 26	g01296957

4. In order to change the "Layered Lift" value, perform one of the following actions:

   • Use the arrow keys

   • Press "+0.50" in order to add that amount to the current value

   • Press "-0.50" in order to subtract that amount from the current value

5. The vertical offset value is used to set a temporary vertical offset above or below the current working surface.

6. Press the "OK" key in order to apply the vertical offset and return to the guidance screen.

With a layered lift selected as the working surface, the cross section view shows the following lines:

• The layered lift appears as a red line

• The original design appears as a light gray line

If the operator temporarily applies a vertical offset to the layered lift, the cross section view shows the following lines:

• The vertical offset is shown with a red line

• The design surface appears as a light gray line

• The layered lift surface appears with black line

Setting A Perpendicular Lift As The Working Surface

Some special applications require a specified thickness of material to be laid over a design surface. By using perpendicular lifts, the thickness of material is consistent on the slopes and level sections of a design.

Illustration 27	g01107587
Perpendicular lift

Illustration 27 is a cross section view which shows a perpendicular lift applied to a design.

In order to create a perpendicular lift for use as the working surface, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 28	g01296962

1. From the "Working Surface" dialog, press "Perpendicular Lift". Refer to Illustration 28.

2. Press the "OK" key in order to select a perpendicular lift as the working surface and return to the "Elevation Offset" dialog.

3. Press the next key until the "Perpendicular Lift" field is highlighted.
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 29	g01296965

4. In order to change the "Perpendicular Lift" value, do one of the following:

   • Use the arrow keys

   • Press "+0.50" in order to add that amount to the current value

   • Press "-0.50" in order to subtract that amount from the current value

5. The vertical offset value is used to set a temporary vertical offset above or below the current working surface.

6. Press the "OK" key in order to apply the vertical offset and return to the guidance screen.

With a perpendicular lift selected as the working surface, the cross section view shows the following lines:

• Perpendicular lift surface appears as a red line

• Design Surface appears as a light gray line

If a vertical offset is temporarily applied to the perpendicular lift, the cross section view will show the following lines:

• Vertical offset appears as a red line

• Perpendicular lift surface appears as a black line

• Design surface appears as a light gray line

Setting A Vertical Lift As The Working Surface

A vertical lift is essentially the same as a vertical offset. A vertical lift is used to specify large offsets, while a vertical offset is better for small, temporary offsets. Vertical lifts are useful when the design requires bulk cut or fill. The design can be cut or built up in stages by working to different vertical lift surfaces until the site approaches the final design surface. When the site is close to design, the vertical offset can be applied to the original design surface.

Illustration 30	g01107590
Vertical lift

A vertical lift surface becomes the working surface. Illustration 30 shows a cross section view with a vertical lift applied to a design consisting of level and sloping surfaces. The thickness of material is less on the sloping surface than on the level surface.

In order to create a vertical lift for use as the working surface, complete the following steps:

Show/hide table

Illustration 31	g01296952

1. From the "Working Surface" dialog, press the "Vertical Lift" soft key. Refer to Illustration 31.
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 32	g01296967

2. Press the "OK" key in order to set a vertical lift as the working surface. The "Elevation Offset" dialog appears. Refer to Illustration 32.

3. Press the next key until the "Vertical Lift" field is highlighted.

4. To change the vertical lift value, perform one of the following actions:

   • Use the arrow keys

   • Press "+0.50" in order to add that amount to the current value

   • Press "-0.50" in order to subtract that amount from the current value

5. The vertical offset value is used to set a temporary vertical offset above or below the current working surface.

6. Press the "OK" key in order to apply the vertical offset and return to the guidance screen.

Cross section view will show the following lines:

• Vertical lift surface appears as a red line

• Design surface appears as a light gray line

If a vertical offset is temporarily applied to the vertical lift, the cross section view will show the following lines:

• Vertical offset appears as a red line

• Vertical lift surface appears as a black line

• Design surface appears as a light gray line

Setting a Vertical Offset

Vertical Offsets:

• Can be applied to any working surface

• No names are given to offsets

A vertical offset can be entered by using:

• The elevation offset dialog

• The vertical offset increment switch

To set a vertical offset manually:

1. From any of the guidance views, press one of the vertical offset soft keys that is described in Table 1 appears.
   Show/hide table

   Illustration 33	g01296945

2. Press the "V. Offset: <Value>" soft key or a similar key that is shown in Table 1. An "Elevation Offset" dialog that is similar to Illustration 33 will appear:

3. In order to enter a vertical offset, do one of the following actions:

   • Use the arrow keys

   • Press "+0.05" in order to add that amount to the current value

   • Press "-0.05" in order to subtract that amount from the current value

4. Press the "+/- (Above/Below)" soft key in order to select the offset direction. Guidance below the working surface shows as a negative value. Guidance above the working surface shows as a positive value.

5. Press the "OK" key in order to save the changes and return to the guidance views.