Glossary of terms

Longitudinal profile

A longitudinal profile is a drawing that shows a network route in section along its axis: chainage horizontally and elevations vertically. It presents the ground line, pipe or channel invert, manholes and chambers, section slopes, and crossings with other utilities. A table below the drawing usually lists ground elevations, invert elevations, depths, slopes and distances. It is the basic document for assessing the vertical correctness of a design. When checking a profile, compare table values with the drawing, verify continuity of the invert line, slope directions and completeness of node and crossing descriptions.