Buoyancy and Stability of Floating Bodies

Most problems concerned with totally or partially immersed bodies:

-A body immersed in a fluid experiences a vertical buoyant force equal to the
weight of the fluid it displaces.
.A floating body displaces its own weight in the fluid in which it floats.

Principle of Archimedes:
The principles of Archimedes states that the up thrust ( upward vertical
force due to the fluid ) on a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of
the fluid displaced, The up thrust will act through the center of gravity of the
displaced fluid, which is called the center of buoyancy.

Up-thrust on immersed body:

These two laws are easily derived by referring to the figure, the body lies between an
upper curved surface 1 and a lower curved surface 2. From Eq. for vertical force, the
body experiences a net upward force

- Stability and Metacenter :

Weight W
Weight W = Up-thrust R

G
B

.Weight of liquid displaced=

Up-thrust R = W
R and W must act in the same vertical straight line.

(a). Tilt the body a small angle (b) B moves far out (point M above G denotes stability);
(c) B moves slightly(point M below G denotes instability
1. The body is tilted a small angle , and a new waterline is established for the body to float at this
angle. The new position B of the center of buoyancy is calculated. A vertical line drawn upward
from B intersects the line of symmetry at a point M, called the metacenter, which is independent of
for small angles.
2. If point M is above G, that is, if the metacentric height MG is positive, a restoring moment is present
and the original position is stable. If M is below G (negative MG, the body is unstable and will
overturn if disturbed. Stability increases with increasing MG.

M
G

R=W
W

1. If M lies above G a righting moment is produced, GM is regarded as

positive, and equilibrium is stable.
2. If M lies below G an overturning moment is produced, GM is regarded as
negative, and equilibrium is unstable.
3. If M and G coincide the body is in neutral equilibrium.

W
G

G M

G
B

B1

is ve positive+
Stable

FB1

FB1

GM

B1

GM

is ve negativeUnstable

FB

GM

is

Neutral

Determination of the Metacentric height

W
M

FB = g V
BB1 = BM sin d

G
B

d
B1

BB1 = BM . d
FB1
GM = BM - BG

GM
:Where
I
V

IG
BG
V

Is the Area Moment of Inertia of the top view about the vertical axis
Is the volume of liquid displaced by the body.

Example
A block of wood 0.2 x 0.5 m cross-section and 0.8 m long has a mass
of 64 kg. Can the block float with 0.5 m side vertical?

m 0.5

:Solution

m 0.5

0.
2

m 0.2

m 0.8

Volume of displaced water

64
V
0.064 m 3
1000

The height of submergence

0.064
h
0.4 m
0.2 0.8

m 0.2

m 0.25

m 0.4

Water Level

The center of buoyancy is 0.2 m from the base.

The Metacentric height

I
G M BG
V

0.8 0.43
I
0.004266 m 4
12

BG = 0.25 0.2 = 0.05 m

GM = BM - BG
The Metacentric height

GM > 0

0.004266
GM
0.05 0.0167 m
0.064

The Block is stable with its 0.5 m side vertical

Example (2)
A vessel has a displacement of 2500 000 kg of fresh
water. A mass of 20 000 kg moved 9 m across the deck
causes the lower end of a pendulum 3 m long to move 23
cm horizontal. Calculate the transverse of metacenteric
height.
m3

.C.G

m
m9

m3

m 0.23

C.G.

.C.G

m
m9

Wmass

0.23
tan
0.767
3

or

0.23

0.767
3

mtotal = 25 x 105

kg
M

mmoving = 20 x 103 kg

m3

m 0.23

0.23

0.767
3

.C.G

overturning moment righting moment

0.23
20000 9.81 9 2500 000 9.81
GM
3
Metacentric hieght GM 0.94 m

.C.G
m9
B

Wmass

Liquid in Relative Equilibrium

- If the vessel containing a liquid is at rest or moving with constant

linear velocity, the liquid is not affected by the motion
- But if the container is given continuous acceleration this will be
imparted to the liquid which will take up a new position.
- Fluid pressure is every where normal to the surface on which it acts.

Horizontal acceleration:
at rest

or
W

moving with constant linear velocity

A
m 1.5

C
m 1.5

For equilibrium F = W . tan

F m . a W. tan

m . a m . g . tan
a
tan
g

m 1.5

A
m 1.5

C
m 1.5

and is constant for all points on the free surface.

Example
If the linear acceleration is given by a = 3 m/sec 2, the tank is 3 m
long and the depth of water when the tank is at rest is 1.5 m.
Calculate: a- The angle of the water surface to the horizontal.
b- The maximum pressure intensity on the bottom.
c- The minimum pressure intensity on the bottom.

Solution:
(a)

(b)

a
3
tan
g 9.81

17

Maximum pressure intensity occurs at point A

hA = 1.5 + 1.5 tan = 1.96 m
The pressure intensity at A = h A = 9.81 x 103 x 1.96
= 19.2 KN/m2
(c)
.The minimum intensity of pressure occurs at point B
hB = 1.5 1. 5 tan = 1.04
The pressure intensity at B = h B = 9.81 x 103 x 1.04
= 10.2 KN/m2

- Vertical acceleration:
Prism cross-section
area is = a

C
a

B
h

Accelerating force at X = F

force due to pressure weight of prism: F = P . A -

.g. h .A

By Newton's 2nd law

F = mass of prism x acceleration =

a
P . g. h (1 )
g

. g. h. a

For a constant value of , F will vary

with r, since the centrifugal acceleration is
2. r and,

W 2
F . .r
g
dy
tan
dr
dy a 2 r
tan

dr g
g
Integrating the
r

2 r
2 r 2
y
dr
cons tan t
g
2g
0

r
F

Axis of rotation

- Forced vortex:

If y is measured from the AB, i.e,

y = 0 when rx = 0 .

Constant = 0

2 r 2
y
2g
Example
A cylindrical tank is spun at 300 r.p.m. with its vertical axis. The tank
is 0.6 m high and 45 Cm diameter and filled of water before spinning.
Show that the water surface will take the form of parabolic when the
container is spun and calculate:
(a) The speed at which the water surface will just touch the top
rim and the center bottom of the tank.
(b) The level to which the water will return when the tank stops
spinning and the amount of water lost.

Solution:
(a) When the surface just touched the rim of the base: y = 0.6 m and
r = 0.225 m

2g y

15.25
2
xr2
N = 145.6

rad . /sec .

r.p.m

(b) In figure the volume of the parabolic will be half that of the containing
cylinder ABCD . When the water surface touches the rim and the center
of the bottom,
volume of water left in tank = half of the original volume
(0.225)2 x 0.6 = 0.0475 m3=
Depth when tank ceases not rotate = 0.3
Amount of water thrown out = 0.0475

m
m3