You are on page 1of 26

CHAPTER 6.

TRANSVERSE STABILITY AT SMALL ANGLES OF HEEL


In this chapter we shall consider the problem of initial stability, which correspond to very small
departures from an assumed equilibrium condition. Of particular concern to the ship designer and
operator is the transverse stability and consequently we apply a small angle of heel to the ship.
A rigid body floating freely on the surface of a fluid has six degrees of freedom, three of translation
and three of rotation. For disturbances from a state of equilibrium, the naval architect refers to the
movements in the six degrees as shown in Table 6.1.

Movement
Fore and aft translation
Transverse translation
Vertical translation
Rotation about a fore and aft axis
Rotation about a transverse axis
Rotation about a vertical axis

Table 6.1.
Dynamic
surge
sway
heave
roll
pitch
yaw

Quasi-static
heel
trim
-

6.1. Heeling Forces and Moments


The magnitude of heeling forces and moments determines the forces and moments that must be
generated by the forces of weight and buoyancy in order to prevent capsizing or excessive heel.
External heeling forces affecting transvers stability may be caused by;

Beam winds and waves


Lifting of heavy weights over the side
High speed turns
Grounding
Strain on mooring lines
Towline pull of tugs

Internal heeling forces include

Shifting of on-board weights athwartship


Entrapped water on deck

Beam winds and waves : When a ship is exposed to a beam wind, the wind pressure acts on the
portion of the ship above the waterline, and the resistance of the water to the ships lateral motion
exerts a force on the opposite side below the waterline. The situation is shown in Figure 6.1.

6.1

Equilibrium with respect to angle of heel will be reached when

The ship is moving to leeward with a speed such that the water resistance equals the wind
pressure, and
The ship has heeled to an angle such that the moment produced by the forces of weight and
buoyancy equals the moment developed by the wind pressure and the water pressure
Weight

Wind pressure

B1

Water pressure

Displacement

Figure 6.1. Effect of beam winds

As the ship heels from the vertical, the wind pressure, water pressure, and their vertical separation
remain substantially constant. The ships weight is constant and acts at a fixed point. The force of
buoyancy is also constant, but the point it acts varies with the angle of heel. Equilibrium will be
reached when sufficient horizontal separation of the centers of gravity and buoyancy has been
produced to cause a balance between heeling and righting moments.
Lifting of Heavy Weights over the Side : When a weight is lifted over the side, as shown in Figure
6.2, the force exerted by the weight acts through the outboard end of the boom, regardless of the
angle of heel or the height to which the load has been lifted. Therefore, the weight of the sidelift
may be considered to be added to the ship at the en of the boom. If the ships centre of gravity is
initially on the ships centreline, as at G in Figure 6.2, the centre of gravity of the combined weight
of the ship and the sidelift will be located along the line GA, and will move to a final position G1,
when the load has been lifted clear of the pier. Point G1 will be off the ships centreline and
somewhat higher than G. The ship will heel until the centre of buoyancy has moved off the ships
centreline to a position directly below point G1.
High Speed Turns : When a ship is executing a turn, a centrifugal force is generated, which acts
horizontally through the ships centre of gravity. This force is balanced by a horizontal water
pressure on the side of the ship, as shown in Figure 6.3. Except for the point of application of the
heeling force, the situation is similar to that in which the ship is acted upon by a beam wind, and the
ship will heel until the moment of the ships weight and buoyancy equals that of the centrifugal
force and water pressure.

6.2

Weight

G1

B1

Displacement

Figure 6.2. Lifting of Heavy Weights over the Side

Weight
Centrifugal force
G

B
B1

Water pressure

Displacement

Figure 6.3. High Speed Turns

Grounding : If a ship runs aground in such a manner that the bottom offers little restraint to heeling,
as shown in Figure 6.4, the reaction of the bottom may produce a heeling moment. As the ship
grounds, part of the energy due to its forward motion may be absorbed in lifting the ship, in which
case a reaction, R, between the bottom and the ship will develop. The force of buoyancy will be less
than the weight of the ship, since the ship is supported by the combination of buoyancy and the
reaction of the bottom. The ship will heel until until the moment of buoyancy about the point of
contact with the bottom becomes equal to the moment of the ships weight about the same point, i.e.
(W-R).a = W.b

6.3

Weight

b
G

a
B
B1

R
Reaction force

Displacement-Reaction force

Figure 6.4. Grounding

There are numerous other situations in which external forces can produce heel. A moored ship may
be heeled by the combination of strain on the mooring lines and pressure produced by wind or
current. Towline strain may produce heeling moments in either the towed or towing vessel. In each
case, equilibrium would be reached when the centre of buoyancy has moved to a point where
heeling and righting moments are balanced.
Movement of weight already aboard the ship, such as passengers, liquids or cargo, will cause the
ships centre of gravity to move. If a weight is moved from A to B, as shown in Figure 6.5, the
ships centre of gravity will move from G to G1 in a direction parallel to the direction of movement
of the shifred weight. The ship will heel until the centre of buoyancy is directly below point G1.

6.4

w
Weight
A

G1

B1

Displacement

Figure 6.5. Effect of weight movement

6.2. The Transverse Metacentre


Consider a symmetric ship heeled to a very small angle, , as shown in Figure 6.6. For small
angles the upright and inclined waterlines will intersect on the waterline. The volumes of the
emerged and immersed wedges must be equal for constant displacement. The centre of buoyancy
has moved off the ships centreline as a result of the inclination, and the lines along which the
resultants of weight and buoyancy act are separated by a distance, GZ, the righting arm. A vertical
line through the centre of buoyancy will intersect the centreline at a point M, called the transverse
metacentre, when 0 .

M
G

B
B1

Figure 6.6. Transverse metacentre and righting arm

6.5

Unless there is an abrupt change in the shape of the ship in the vicinity of the waterline, point M will
remain practically stationary with respect to the ship as the ship is inclined to small angles, upto
about 7-10 degrees.
If the locations of G and M are known, the righting arm for small angles of heel can be calculated
readily, with sufficient accuracy, by the formula

GZ GM sin
The distance GM is therefore important as an index of transverse stability at small angles of heel,
and is called the transverse metacentric height. Since GZ is considered positive when the moment of
weight and buoyancy tends to rotate the ship toward the upright position, GM is positive when M is
above G, and negative when M is below G.
6.2.1. Metacentric Radius (BM)
Consider a symmetric ship heeled to a small angle (), say 2 or 3 degrees, as shown in Figure 6.7.

y
g1

g
B

R
B1

Figure 6.7. Metacentric radius

6.6

For small angles the emerged and immersed wedges are approximately triangular. If y is the half
ordinate of the original waterline at the cross section the emerged or immersed section area is.

dA =

1 2
y
2

for a small length dx, the volume of each wedge is

dV =

1 2
y dx
2

The righting moment is equal to transverse shift of buoyancy.

1
2
2
dM = 2 y 2 dx y = y 3 dx
2
3
3
The total righting moment is
L

2
2
M = y 3 dx = y 3 dx
3
3
0
0
L

2
The expression within the integral sign, I x = y 3 dx , is the second moment of area, or the moment
3
0
of inertia, of a waterplane about its centreline. Hence the movement of buoyancy is
M = I x = v gg 1 = BB1

Referring to Figure 6.7, for small angles of heel


BB1 = BM

BM = I x

BM =

Ix

Thus the height of the metacentre above the centre of buoyancy is found by dividing the second
moment of area of the waterplane about its centreline by the volume of displacement.
6.2.2. Metacentric Diagram

The metacentre diagram is a convenient way of defining variations in relative heights of the centres
of buoyancy and metacentre for a series of waterlines parallel to the design waterline. The position
of the centres of buoyancy, B, and metacentre, M, are dependent only on the geometry of the ship
and the waterplane at which it is floating.
A typical metacentric diagram is shown in Figure 6.8. The vertical scale represents draught and a
line is drawn at 45 degrees to this scale. For a given draught, T, a horizontal line is drawn
intersecting the 45 degrees line in D and a vertical line is drawn through D. On this vertical line, the
distance DM represents the height of the centre of metacentre above the waterplane ans DB
represents the depth of the centre of buoyancy below the waterplane. This process is repeated a
6.7

sufficient number of times to define the loci of metacentre and centre of buoyancy. These are termed
the metacentre, M, and buoyancy, B, curves.
A table may be constructed to the left of the diagram, in which are listed the displacements and T1
values for each a number of draughts corresponding to typical ship loading conditions.
Since KB is approximately proportional to draught over the normal operating range, the B curve is
usually nearly staright for conventional ship forms. The M curve, on the other hand, usually falls
steeply with increasing draught at shallow draught than levels out and may even begin to rise at very
deep draught.

TONS PER CM

.
DRAUGHT IN M

DISPLACEMENT IN TONS

KM

G
KB

DRAUGHT
: 6.3 m
DISPLACEMENT : 12700 t
: 12.7 t/cm
T1

Figure 6.8. Metacentric Diagram

6.2.2.1. Metacentric Diagrams for Simple Geometrical Forms


6.8

a) Rectangular section

Consider a barge of length L and breadth B with constant rectangular cross sections floating at
draught T. The volume of the barge is

= LBT
The height of the centre of buoyancy is

KB =

T
2

The metacentric radius is


LB3
B2
I
BM = = 12 =
LBT 12T

Then the height of metacentre above the keel is

KM = KB + BM =

T B2
+
2 12T

As can be seen the height of metacentre depends upon the beam and draught but not the length. At
zero draught KM would be infinite, and the second term predominates for small draught values.
The draught at which KM is minimum can be found by diffrentiating the equation for KM with
respect to T and equating to zero. Then the draught at which KM is minimum can be found as
follows,
dKM 1
B2
=
=0
dT
2 12T 2

T=

B
6

b) Triangular section

Consider a barge of length L and waterline breadth B with constant triangular cross sections floating
apex down at draught T. The volume of the barge is

1
LBT
2

The height of the centre of buoyancy is

KB =

2T
3

6.9

The metacentric radius is


LB3
I
B2
BM = = 12 =
1
6T
LBT
2

Then the height of metacentre above the keel is

KM = KB + BM =

2T B 2
+
3 6T

The draught at which KM is minimum can be found by differentiating the equation for KM with
respect to T and equating to zero. Then the draught at which KM is minimum can be found as
follows,

dKM 2 B 2
= 2 =0
dT
3 6T

T=

B
2

c) Circular section

Consider a circular cylinder of radius r and centre of section O, floating with its axis horizontal. For
any waterline, above or below the centre, and for any inclination, the buoyancy force always acts
through the centre. That is, KM is independent of draught and equal to r.

6.3. Measurement of Initial Stability


The difference between the centre of gravity and the metacentre is defined as the metacentric height
(GM) and this distance can be used the initial stability of a ship at smalll angles of heel, from 00 to
70-100. For small angles of heel the metacentric height (GM) is calculated by subtracting the height
of the ships centre of gravity above the keel (KG) from the height of metacentre above the keel
(KM), i.e
GM = KM KG
The height of metacentre above the keel is calculated by the summation of the height of centre of
buoyancy above the keel (KB) and the metacentric radius (BM) as follows
KM = KB + BM

where the metacentric radius is the distance between the centre of buoyancy and the metacentre.
Therefore
GM = KB + BM KG

It is evident that GM is the key indicator of initial transverse stability. Whilst it should obviously be
positive, too high values should be avoided. GM is a measure of the ships stiffness in roll motion
and largely governs the period of roll motion. Too high a value of GM leads to a very short roll
period.
6.10

The actual value of GM for a ship may be found by an inclining experiment, which is discussed in
later sections. At the initial stages of design, to ensure that the ship has sufficient initial stability, the
metacentric height can be calculated by using approximate formulae.
C WP

KB = T
C B + C WP
C
5T
T

KB =

= 2.5 B
6 3A WP 3
C WP

Posdunine
Morrish
Normand

KB = T (0.9 0.36C M )

Schneekluth

KB = T(0.9 0.3C M 0.1C B )

C
KB = T 0.828 0.343 B
C WP

KB = T (1.1 0.6C M )

Bauer
Henschke

16 7C B
B2
0.0067
0.09

BM =
T
C B
BM =

Robb
Riddlesworth

B2
T

C WP (0.727C WP + 0.0106 0.003)

CB

2
B 0.1216C WP 0.0410

BM =
T
CB

BM =

Eames
Darcengelo

B2
T

0.09377C P 0.0122

CB

2
B 0.0861C P 0.008

BM =
T
CB

BM =

Kiss
Brown

B2
T

C 2WP

12C
B

B 2 C WP (C WP + 0.04)

BM =
T
12C B

Mc Cloghrie
Posdunine
Rauert

BM =

B2
T

BM =

B2
T

57C WP 22

420C B

KG=aD
Ship type

6.11

Tanker
Bulk carrier
Dry Cargo
Passenger

0.69
0.68
0.72
0.75

6.4. Wall sided formula


For small angles of heel, we found that the righting lever GZ GM . A more accurate formula for
GZ at angles around 100 is available for wall sided ships, i.e. those having vertical sides in the
region of the waterline. The vessel can have a turn of bilge provided it is not exposed by the
inclination of the ship. Nor must the deck edge be immersed. Because the vessel is wall sided the
emerged and immersed wedges will have sections which are right angled triangels of equal area.
Consider the wall sided section, shown in Figure 6.9. The transverse moment of volume shift can be
expressed as
y
4y
2
2
M T = y tan dx
= y 3 tan dx = tan y 3 dx = I tan
2
3
3
3
where y is the half ordinate an I is the second moment of area of the waterplane about the centreline.
Therefore
M
I tan
BB1 = T =
= BM tan

Similarly the vertical moment

1
2
y3
1
M V = y 2 tan y tan dx = tan 2 dx = I tan 2
2
2
3
3
Therefore
1
I tan 2
MV 2
1
B1 R =
=
= BM tan 2

From Figure 6.9,


BR = BB1 cos + B1 R sin
BR = BM tan cos +
BR = sin (BM +

1
BM tan 2 sin
2

1
BM tan 2 )
2

Therefore, the righting arm, GZ, is

6.12

GZ = BR BG sin
1

GZ = sin BM + BM tan 2 BG
2

GZ = sin GM + BM tan 2
2

At small angles, this degenerates to GZ = GM sin . The formula is invalid at large heel angles.

h1
g1
W1

L1
g
B

R
B1

h
L

B2
K

Figure 6.9.

6.5. Angle of Loll


In certain conditions of loading it is possible for a ship to have negative GM when upright. The GZ
curve will have a negative slope at the origin, as shown in Figure 6.10. As the ship heels to larger
angles, GZ increase to become positive at an angle, known as the angle of loll. The ship is in
unstable equilibrium when upright and will flop over rapidly to the angle of loll.
The wall sided formula can be used to estimate the angle of loll. If the ship has a positive GM it will
be in equilibrium when GZ is zero, that is
1

GZ = sin GM + BM tan 2 = 0
2

6.13

This condition is satisfied by two values of . The first is = 0 , which is the case with the ship
upright. The second value is given by

1
GM + BM tan 2 = 0
2

tan 2 =

2GM
BM

With both GM and BM positive there is no solution to this meaning that the upright position is the
only one of equilibrium. This also applies to the case of GM=0, which means that in the upright
position the ship is stable, not neutral. When, however, the ship has a negative GM there are two
possible solutions for in addition to that of zero, which in this case would be a position of
unstable equilibrium. These other solutions are at either side of the upright position being given
by,
tan =

2GM
BM

Such an angle is known as the angle of loll. The ship would show no preference for one side or the
other.

GZ (m)

angle of loll
Heel angle

GM

Figure 6.10. Angle of loll

If 1 is the angle of loll, the value of GM for small inclinations about the loll position, will be given
by the slope of the GZ curve at that point, i.e.

6.14

GZ = sin GM + BM tan 2
2

dGZ
1

= cos GM + BM tan 2 + sin BM tan 2 sec 2 = 0


d
2

It is important to recognize the loll condition as it is potentially dangerous. It cannot, unlike heel, be
corrected by applying a counter moment to the ship. This would merely cause the ship to flop over
rapidly to a larger angle on the other side.

6.6. Statical Stability Curve


A typical curve of GZ variation with heel angle is shown in Figure 6.11. This is known as a curve
of static stability or GZ curve. Important features of this curve are as follows;

At small angles GZ GM . The slope of the GZ curve near the origin is given by
dGZ d(GM)
=
= GM . Thus, if the slope of the curve at the origin is extrapolated to a value of
d
d
= 1 radian the ordinate has a value equal to GM, the metacentric height.
As increases beyond small values, the slope of the GZ curve usually increases above the
initial slope. For a wall sided ship, this is predicted by the wall sided formula for GZ (BM is
always positive). For a round bilge vessel, this increase in slope may be small or even negative.
At point B, there is a point of inflexion in the GZ curve and the slope begins to decrease. This
change is associated with immersion of the deck edge or emergence of the turn or bilge. At this
point, the waterplane width ceases to increase and begins to reduce.
At point C, GZ reaches its maximum value GZmax. A steady overturning moment applied to the
ship of value greater than GZ max would cause it to capsize.
At point D, GZ becomes zero. This point is called the point of vanishing stability and distance
OD is called the range of stability.
The area under the GZ curve is a measure of the work done in steady conditions to heel the ship.
It may also be called the dynamical stability, as it is related to the energy absorbing capability of
the ship in roll.

GZ curves are normally prodyced for a range of loading conditions. GZ curve is normally corrected
for any expected free surface effects in the condition concerned.
There are some deficiencies in GZ curves. For example
C

The GZ curve makes no allowance for changes in centre of gravity at very large heel angles,
GZ (m)
due to cargo shift, for example
B
It makes no allowance for water flooding into the ship at large angles, such as through deck
openings or engine intakes
The GZ curve assumes quasi-static conditions which are certainly not present in a heavy sea

GMsin+1/2BMtan2sin
P

GM

6.15

GMsin

A
range of stability

Heel angle

Figure 6.11. Statical stability curve

6.7. Cross Curves of Stability


These curves show the relationship between the righting levers KZ and various displacements for a
ship inclined at a constant angle. The displacement cover the range from lightship to maximum
possible loading condition.

60
75
90
KZ

45

30

15

DISPLACEMENT

Figure 6.12. Cross curves of stability

6.8. Free Surface Effect


We have so far assumed that the contents of the ship do not move as the ship heels over. In practice,
ships contain tanks of liquids such as oil and water. If these tanks are pressed full then the contained
fluid will behave as though it were solid. If, however, the tank is only partly full, the contained
liquid will move towards the downward side as the ship heels. In Figure 6.13 the local centre of
gravity of the liquid of density 1 moves to g. This has the effect of shifting the ships centre of
gravity G to G, closer to the line of action of the buoyancy force, and thus reduces the righting
moment.
For small angles of heel, it is shown in Figure 6.13, that the new righting arm is given by

G' Z' GZ GG' GZ GG' ' G' ' M (GM GG' ' )
There is an apparent loss of metacentric height, of value GG. Taking the moments about G,
GG ' = w 1gg '

where w1 is the weight of the liquid in the tank. We may assume that gg' bb' . Thus

6.16

gg' bb' = bm =

where i is the area moment of inertia of the free surface of the liquid in the tank and v is the volume
of the liquid. From this we can deduce that
GG ' =

i 1

and
i 1
S
This is the apparent loss in GM due to the free surface of the liquid in the tank. If there are a number
of tanks, then the total loss of GM due to the free surface effect is the sum of the individual effects,
i.e.
i
GG ' ' = 1
S
GG ' ' =

There are several points to note about the free surface effect:

The free surface effect is always destabilizing


It is independent of the volumes of the liquids. Even a small amount of liquid can have a large
effect if the free surface is large
The free surface effect is independent of tank position, either vertically or horizontally
It is very dependent on size of the free surface, particularly on width, in the same way as ship
beam has a large effect on GM

The best way to reduce the free surface effect is to subdivide the tanks so as to prevent the liquids in
bulk. The subdivision must form completely separate tanks; subdivision of the free surface alone has
no effect as the liquid as a whole can still move in bulk beneath the surface.
The free surface effect is particularly dangerous for ships with large deck areas close to waterline
level, such as a Ro-Ro ferry. The deck of a car ferry often has an area and second moment of area
equal to or greater than that of the ships load waterplane. In the case of an accident when the deck
is covered by even a shallow depth of sea water, the loss of GM is

i
I
BM

M

This loss is more than the original value of GM and the ship will therefore have negative
upright
L
stability. This will cause the ship heel over rapidly and possibly capsize.
Z
W

L
Z

G
W

6.17
Z

Figure 6.13. Free surface effect

6.9. Solid Weight Shifts, Additions and Removals


6.9.1. Vertical Weight Shifts

G1
G

h
L

Figure 6.14.

If a weight of w tons already on board is raised through some distance h m, the centre of gravity will
be raised to a new position such that

GG 1 =

wh

Since there is no change in the displacement or draught of the ship, there will be no change in the
position of the metacentre, and therefore the metacentric height will be reduced by the amount GG1
meters.
6.9.2. Horizontal Weight Shifts
6.18

Shifting weight horizontally, no matter where onboard it is, will always cause the ships centre of
gravity to move in the same direction as the weight shift. Thus, horizontal weight shifts will always
reduce the stability of the ship. The resulting heel angle can be calculated by

tan =

wd
GM

where w is the amount of weight shifted and d the horizontal distance the weight is shifted.

w
M

w
W
G
W1

G1
L1

B1

Figure 6.15.
6.9.3. Weight Additions/Removals

This is a more complicated problem, compared with vertical weight shifts, because the addition or
removal of weights from a ship changes the position of the centre of gravity of the ship and it also
changes the draught and hence the position of the metacentre;

6.19

d
w

W1
W

G1
G

L1
L

B1
B

Figure 6.16.

Parallel sinkage

: p=

w
T1

Metacentric height

KG + wh
+w
p

KB + w T +
2

: KB1 =
+w

: BM 1 = BM
1
: GM 1 = KB1 + BM1 KG 1

Heel angle

: tan =

Height of centre of gravity

Height of centre of buoyancy


Metacentric radius

: KG 1 =

wd
1 GM 1

6.10. Inclining Experiment


The purpose of the inclining experiment is to find the KG and GM of a ship in a known condition.
Owing to the importance of GM and the difficulty of estimating KG accurately, an inclining
experiment is usually carried out on all new vessels. It is repeated after significant modifications to
the ship during its service life.
The position of the centre of gravity of the lightship could be determined by considering all the
weights such as steel, outfit and fittings, and machinery, and ascertaining their individual centres of
6.20

gravity, from which could be calculated the position of the centre of gravity for the complete ship.
For a particular condition of loading the weights of all the items which the ship carries would then
have to be added on at their appropriate centres of gravity. In this way the position of the centre of
gravity of the loaded ship could be determined.
Whilst it is customary to calculate the volumes and centres of gravity of all the hold, fuel, fresh
water and ballast spaces, etc., from the drawings the calculation of the lightship weight and the
position of its centre of gravity would be a long and tedious process and the accuarcy of the result
would be in some doubt. For this reason the lightship weight and the position of its centre of gravity
are determined experimentally.
The inclining experiment is based on applying a known heeling moment and then measuring the
resulting angle of heel. The heel can be measured by means of a long pendulum with length l ,
suspended, preferably into the hold, and free to move. The heeling angle, (in radians), is

a
l

where a is the deviation of the pendulum. It is advisable to suspend the small weights at the end of
the pendulum into oil or some other kind of liquid to dampen oscillations.
Consider a known weight of amount w moved transversely across the ship a distance d. The heeling
moment wd must be balanced by the restoring moment GM , where is the small angle of heel
involved. Thus
wd
GM =
tan
All the quantities on the right hand side of the equation are measured as accurately as possible. The
ships displacement is found from the hydrostatic curves for the draughts measured during the
experiment.

6.21

Figure 6.17. Inclining experiment


6.10.1. Practical Execution of the Inclining Experiment

The inclining experiment must be carried out in calm water in still conditions. The GM as measured
will include any free surface effects due to liquids on board. This virtual GM must be adjusted to a
solid GM or a standard liquid condition. The information for this adjustment is obtained by dipping
all tanks on board at the time of the experiment and calculating the free surface effect in each case.
Draughts and/or freeboards should be read immediately before or immediately after the test. All
persons required to be on board for the test should be in location during these readings. Draughts
should be read forward and aft and draughts or freeboards lifted amidships to determine hog or sag.
At the same time the density of the water should be recorded at various locations along the vessel.
The weights used should be sufficient to give a total inclination of 1 1/2 to 3 on each side. It may
be necessary to have a larger inclination in small vessels in order to get sufficient deflection of the
pendulum. However, care should be taken to ensure:
(a) that the angle of heel does not exceed the angle at which GZ no longer equals GM sin .
(b) that the deflection of the pendulum for each shift is sufficiently large to give meaningful
readings, and
(c) that changes in the waterplane area during the shifts are kept as small as possible. In this regard
vessels with appreciable flare at the waterline should be carefully considered and the angle of
inclination should not exceed 1 .
The weights to be used in the experiment should, preferrably consist of 4w tons, i.e. 2w tons on each
side of the ship. The inclinations must be recorded with the following weight movements, each
through distance d meters

w from port to starboard


2w from port to starboard
2w from starborad to port to chack initial zero
w from starboard to port
2w from starboard to port
2w from port to starboard to check initial zero

Thus, the average inclination in degrees may be obtained for a movement of w tons through d
meters. As w is moved across the deck the centre of gravity of the ship moves from G to G1 and the
resulting angle of heel can be found as

tan =

wd
GM

In the inclining experiment the values of w, d, and are all known, and thus GM may be
calculated.

6.22

The weights to be used must produce a reasonable heel angle. They can be determined by estimating
GM, the moment arm, and the angle of heel. The estimation of GM can be made by preliminary
weight and KG calculations. Then the required weight is

w=

GM
d

6.10.2. The Accuracy of the Inclining Experiment

The accuracy of the inclining experiment depends on many factors and measures must be taken to
reduce the possibility of errors. These measures may include

A calm day with no wind should be chosen. If possible the test should not be conducted in wind
conditions heavier than a light breeze.
The ship should ideally be inclined in a dry dock in order to avoid any disturbances caused by
passing ships. Failing this, it should be moored at a buoy with head to wind.
The depth of water under the hull should be sufficient to allow the vessel to move freely
Excessive accumulations of rain, snow or ice should be removed before the test
All moorings should be slack and gangways removed
All loose items such as derricks, boats, etc. should be secured
The ship should be as nearly complete as possible, and an accurate list should be made of items
to go on to complete, items to be taken off and items already on board which have to be shifted
As few men as possible should remain on board, and those that do should remain on the
centreline
All tanks should be empty or pressed full. However, it is emphasized that empty tanks are
preferred for an accurate test
The vessel should be upright or within 1/2 from upright
Heavy trim should be avoided. The vessel should be as close to the design trim as possible and
should not differ from this by more than 0.01 LBP. Unless the vessel is at the designed trim,
soundings of tanks will not give true readings and the inclining stability calculation will require
to be calculated for the trimmed waterline
All measuerements should be taken with care, and be checked as the experiment proceeds
Special emphasis should be placed on draught readings and control of heeling weights
At least two pendulums should be used, one at each end of the vessel. The length of each
pendulum should be as long as possible and they should be located in an area protected from the
wind. Pendulum weights should be suspended into a liquid such as oil to dampen excessive
movement.
The natural period for the pendulum and the roll period of the vessel should not be close to each
other
At least 4 readings of moment versus heeling angle should be taken
The maximum heeling angle should be in the range 5-100

6.10.3. Free Surface Corrections

After the value of GM has been calculated for the ship in the inclined condition there may be a
correction to be made for the presence of free surfaces in double bottom, or other tanks. The
presence of free surfaces reduces the actual value of GM by an amount given by

6.23

GM =

i 1
S

where i is the transverse moment of inertia of each free surface about its own centreline, the
displacement volume, 1 the density of liquid with free surface, and S the density of water in
which the ship floats.

6.11. Determination of Ships Metacentric Height (GM) by Means of the Rolling


Period Test
This method of approximating a ships initial metacentric height (GM) may be used for small
vessels, where it is not practicable to carry out an inclining experiment, or as a supplement to an
inclining experiment. The method depends upon the relationship between the metacentric height and
the rolling period in terms of the extreme breadth of the vessel.
It should be noted that a roll test is not acceptable as a basis for determining a ships stability
characteristics, where, the vessel is of hard chine construction (i.e. of knuckled hull form) or is fitted
with bilge keels, or reasonable doubt exists as to the adequacy of the intact stability characteristics
of the ship, over its complete range of operating conditions.
The rolling period required is the time for one complete oscillation of the vessel. To ensure the most
accurate results in obtaining this value the following precautions should be observed:

The test should be conducted with the vessel in harbour, in smooth water with the minimum
interference from wind and waves.
Starting with the vessel at the extreme end of a roll to one side (say port) and the vessel about to
move towards the upright, one complete oscillation will have been made when the vessel has
moved right across to the other extreme side (i.e. starboard) and returned to the original starting
point and is about to commence the next roll.
By means of a stop watch, the time should be taken for about five (5) of these complete
oscillations; the counting of these oscillations should begin when the vessel is at the extreme end
of a roll. After allowing the roll to completely fade away, this operation should be repeated at
least twice more. If possible, in every case the same number of complete oscillations should be
timed to establish that the readings are consistent, i.e. repeating themselves within reasonable
limits. Knowing the total time for the total number of oscillations made, the time for one
complete oscillation can be calculated.
The vessel can be made to roll by rhythmically lifting up and putting down a weight as far off
middle-line as possible; by pulling on the mast with a rope; by people running athwartships in
unison; or by any other means. However, and this is most important, as soon as this forced
rolling has commenced the means by which it has been induced must be stopped and the vessel
allowed to roll freely and naturally. If rolling has been induced by lowering or raising a weight it
6.24

is preferable that the weight is moved by a dockside crane. If the ships own derrick is used, the
weight should be placed on the deck, at the middle-line, as soon as the rolling is established.
The timing and counting of the oscillations should only begin when it is judged that the vessel is
rolling freely and naturally, and only as much as is necessary to accurately count these
oscillations.
The mooring should be slack and the vessel "breasted off" to avoid making any contact during
its rolling. To check this, and also to get some idea of the number of complete oscillations that
can be reasonably counted and timed, a preliminary rolling test should be made before starting
to record actual times.
Care should be taken to ensure that there is a reasonable clearance of water under the keel and at
the sides of the vessel.
Weights of reasonable size which are liable to swing (e.g. a lifeboat), or liable to move (e.g.
drum), should be secured against such movement. The free surface effects of slack tanks should
be kept as small as is practicable during the test.

Having calculated the period for one complete oscillation, say T seconds, the metacentric height
GM can be calculated from the following formula:

fB
GM =
Tr

Where:
f = factor for the rolling period
B = breadth of the ship in metric units,
T = time for a full rolling period in seconds (i.e. for one oscillation to and fro port-starboard-port,
or vice versa).
The factor f is of the greatest importance and data from a number of tests have been used in
determining the following typical values:
(A) For unloaded fishing boats (but with fuel, stores, and equipment). f = 0.761
(B) For vessels of normal size (excluding tankers):
(a) empty ship or ship carrying ballast f = 0.88
(b) ship fully loaded and with liquids in tanks comprising the following percentage of the
total load on board (i.e. cargo, liquids, stores, etc.)
1. 20 percent of total load f = 0.78
2. 10 percent of total load f = 0.75
3. 5 percent of total load f = 0.73

The stated values are mean values. Generally, f - values are within 0.05 of those given above.
It must be noted that the greater the distance of masses from the rolling axis, the greater the rolling
coefficient will be. Therefore, it can be expected that:

the rolling coefficient for an unloaded ship, i.e. for a hollow body, will be higher than that
for a loaded ship;

6.25

the rolling coefficient for a ship carrying a great amount of bunkers and ballast - both
groups are usually located in the double bottom, i.e. far away from the rolling axis - will
be higher than that of the same ship having an empty double bottom.

The above recommended rolling coefficients were determined by tests with vessels in port and with
their consumable liquids at normal working levels; thus, the influences exerted by the vicinity of the
quay, the limited depth of water and the free surface of liquids in service tanks are covered.
Experiments have shown that the results of the rolling test method get increasingly less reliable the
nearer they approach GM-values of 0.20 metres and below.
For the following reasons, it is not generally recommended that results be obtained from rolling
oscillations taken in a seaway:

Exact coefficients for tests in open waters are not available.


The rolling periods observed may not be free oscillations but forced oscillations due to seaway.
Frequently, oscillations are either irregular or only regular for too short an interval of time to
allow accurate measurements to be observed.
Specialized recording equipment is necessary.

However, sometimes it may be desirable to use the vessels period of roll as a means of
approximately judging the stability at sea. If this is done, care should be taken to discard readings
which depart appreciably from the majority of other observations. For oscillations corresponding to
the sea period and differing from the natural period at which the vessel seems to move should be
disregarded. In order to obtain satisfactory results, it may be necessary to discard a considerable
number of observations.
In view of the foregoing circumstances, it needs to be recognized that the determination of the
stability by means of the rolling test in disturbed waters should only be regarded as a very
approximate estimation.

6.26

You might also like