CHAPTER 4

Buoyancy and
Floatation
 Think!!!
Why did the Titanic Sink?
Why did the Titanic
Sink?

After it hit the iceberg, water began to fill the air
filled compartments on the ship.

The added weight of the water, combined
with the weight of the ship became greater
than the buoyant force supporting the ship.

We all know what happened after that!
Density and buoyancy:

An object that has a greater

density than the fluid it is in,
will sink. If its density is less
than the fluid it will float.
A solid block of steel sinks in water. A steel ship
with the same mass floats on the surface.
 Liquids

Buoyant Force

w
 Bouyancy
• Some object when placed in water, float while
others sink.
• Example : Pontoon
• A fluid particle can be replaced by a body
• Pressure distribution over the boundary will not
change
• Buoyancy force on the body equals to the weight
of the replaced fluid particle
• Buoyancy force applied to the geometrical center of
a submerged body
 Floating bodies
• Buoyancy force acting on the submerged part
of a floating body equal to body’s weight
• Body weight is applied to body’s center of
mass
• Buoyancy force is applied to the geometrical
center of the submerged part
• A floating body is in equilibrium when the pair
gravity- bouyancy does not produce moment
 Who is Archimedes?

• Archimedes (287-212 BC), pre-eminent Greek

mathematician and inventor, who wrote
important works on plane and solid geometry,
arithmetic, and mechanics.
– "Archimedes",Microsoft« Encarta« Encyclopedia 2001. ⌐ 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights

reserved .
 Archimedes Principle State

Any object wholly or partly immersed in a

fluid, is buoyed up by a force (up trust force)
equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by
the object.
 The law

• Archimedes' Principle, law of physics that

states that when an object is totally or
partially immersed in a fluid, it experiences
an up thrust equal to the weight of the fluid
displaced.
 Centre of Bouyancy
The center of gravity of the displaced liquid is known as the
center of buoyancy
 Density and Buoyancy

From Archimedes’s Principle:

Buoyant Force = Weight of fluid displaced
= mg (note : F = ma)
= Vg (note:  = m)
V
Thus FB = Vg
Where……
F
B = Buoyant Force or Up thrust
 = Density of fluid
V = Volume of fluid displaced or the volume of the object that
immersed in the fluid.
Submerged Body
 Buoyant Force
 The magnitude of the buoyant force always equals the weight
of the displaced fluid

F   gV  wfluid
 The buoyant force is the same for a totally submerged object
of any size, shape, or density
 The buoyant force is exerted by the fluid
 Whether an object sinks or floats depends on the relationship
between the buoyant force and the weight
Center of Buoyancy is a center of
gravity of the displaced liquid
G – center of gravity
B – Centre of Buoyancy
H – Height of object
W d – depth of immersion

G H
d B

F
Figure below shows a wood block measuring
0.4m x 0.3m 0.2m is floating in the water. The
wood relative density is 0.6. Determine the
value of d
ρ xgxV =ρ xgxV
wood wood water waterdisplaced
600 x 9.81 x [0.4 x 0.3 x 0.2] = 1000 x 9.81 x
[0.4 x 0.3 x d]
141.264 = 1177.2d
d = 0.12 m
 Example 1
A ship floating in the sea is known to displace 2200
metric tons of water. Calculate the volume of the
3
ship below the water level. (V= 2146 m )
3
Sea water density = 1025 kg/m
3
m = 2200 x 1000 = 2200 x 10 kg

ρ = m/V
V = 2200000 / 1025
3
= 2146 m
 Example 2

A rectangular wooden block 100 cm x 50 cm x 40

cm is left floating in the water. If it is observed
that a quarter of the volume of the block of wood
lies above the water surface, calculate the mass of
the wooden block. (m = 150 kg)
 EXAMPLE 3

A block of wood 4 m long, 2 m wide and 1 m

deep is floating horizontally in the water. If
the density of wood is 700 kg/m3, calculate
the:
a)Mass of wooden block (5600 kg)
3
b)Volume of water displaced (5.6 m )
c)Depth of immersion, d (0.7 m)
d)Position of center of buoyancy (0.35 m)
 Solution
Mass of Volume of water
wooden block displaced
Centre of
ρ = m/V Vw = Vb buoyancy
Vb = b x L x h
=4 x 2 x 1 Vw = mw/ρw B = d/2
3 = 5600 = 0.7/2
= 8m
kg/1000kg/m
3 = 0.35 m
Therefore; 3
= 5.6 m

mb = ρb Vb Depth of Immersion,
= 700 (8) d Vi = b x L x d 5.6 = 4
x2xd
= 5600 kg
d = 0.7 m
 EXAMPLE 4
An unloaded pontoon being used in a river estuary to
transport construction materials has a mass of 15 tons. In
plan the pontoon is 8 m long by 5 m wide. It is
rectangular in section and has sides 1.5 m high. The water
3
is saline with density 1025 kg/m . Determine :-

3
a) The volume of the water displaced (14.64 m )

b) Depth of immersion (0.366 m)

c) The position of center of buoyancy (0.183 m)

 EXAMPLE 5
An object weighing 100 N in air was found to
weigh 75 N when fully immersed in water. If the
object is in equilibrium, calculate the:

a) Mass of the object (10.19 kg)

-3 3
b) Volume of the object (2.55 x 10 m )
c) Relative density of the object (4.0)
 Solution Volume of object = Volume
of water displaced
Weight in air = 100 N
Vb = Vw
Weight in water = 75 N

Up trust Force, F = 100 – Therefore;

75 = 25 N
W = mg F=ρgV
m = W/g 25 = 1000(9.81)Vw
= 100/9.81 -3 3
Vw = 2.55 x 10 m
= 10.19 kg
Relative density Gs = ρb/ρw
Object density, ρ = m/V
-3 = 3996/1000
= 10.19/ 2.55 x 10
= 4.0
= 3996 kg/m3
 Metacenter
When ever a body floating in liquid is given small
angular displacement, it starts oscillating about
some point.
This point, about which the body starts
oscillating, it call Meta Centre.

Metacenter – intersection of the line passing

through the original Centre of buoyancy (B) and
Centre of gravity of the body, and the vertical line
through the new Centre of buoyancy.
Stability of Submerged or Floating
Bodies

Neutral Equilibrium
- If it occupies a new position
and remains at rest in the new
position when given small
displacement.
- Metacenter (M) is coincides
with the center of gravity (G) of
the body
A Ship in Equilibrium
- GM=0 (neutral)
 Stable Equilibrium

Stable equilibrium
- If it returns back to its
original position, when given
a small angular displacement.
- Metacenter (M) is higher than
the center of gravity (G) of
the body
Stable Equilibrium
- GM>0 (stable)
 Unstable Equilibrium
Unstable equilibrium
- If it does not return back to
its original position and heels
farther away, when given a
small angular displacement.
- Meta center (M) is lower than
the center of gravity (G) of
the body
Unstable Equilibrium
- GM<0 (Unstable)
 Step to calculate GM
a) Calculate the depth of immersion, d

d/H = Density of object/Density of fluid

H = height of object
b) Calculate the Height of Meta Center (GM)

GM = BM – BG
BM = Ixx/Vd G H

d B
4
Ixx – second moment of area (m )
3 O
Vd – Volume of displaced liquid (m )

BG = OG – OB , which OG = H/2 and OB = d/2

 Exercise
a) A floating pontoon is being used to transport
construction materials. If it is known to displaced water
if the pontoon floats on fresh water. 5.4 m wide, 12 m
long and depth of immersion 1.5 m in fresh water.
i. Mass of the pontoon if it floats in water
ii. Volume of the displaced water if the
pontoon floats on fresh water.
iii. Calculate the metacentric height GM
iv. State the type of equilibrium
b) An object weighing 2703 N in air is immersed
in water and recorded a weight of 1909 N. If the object
equilibrium calculate the
3
i. Volume of the object (0.081 m )
ii. Relative density of the object (3.4)
c) Determine the metacentric height of a vehicle to
transport pontoons that across a strait of sea water with a
3
density of 1150 kg/m . The pontoon measuring is 27 m in long,
19 m in wide and 9 m in high and the weight of the pontoon is
500 tones.
3
Vbody = 4617 m
3
Ρbody = 108.30 kg/m
d = 0.85 m
BG = 4.075 m
3
Vd = 436.05 m
4
Ixx= 15432.75 m
BM = 35.392 m
GM = 31.317 m
Determine the metacentric of a ferry across the Selat
Tebrau. The sea water density is 1029 kg/m3. The ferry
dimension is 40 mx 15mx10m. The ferry mass is 700
tones metric.

Answer:
Vd = 680.272 m3
Ixx = 11 250 m4
BM = 16.54
Density object = 116.67 kg/m3
d = 1.13 m
BG = 4.435m
GM = 12.105 m.
 END OF SLIDE

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