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Buoyancy and Stability Buoyancy and Stability

Examples of types of Buoyancy Problems:
• Whenever a body is placed over a liquid, either it sinks down
or floats on the liquid.

• Two forces involve are:

1. Gravitational Force
2. Up-thrust of the liquid

• If Gravitation force is more than Upthrust, body will sink.

• If Upthrust is more than Gravitation force, body will float.

Buoyancy and Stability

Buoyancy and Stability Buoyancy:
Archimedes Principle: • A body in a fluid, whether floating or submerged, is buoyed up by a
force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.
• “Whenever a body is immersed wholly or partially in a fluid, it is buoyed up (i.e lifted up)
• “The tendency of a fluid to uplift a submerged body, because of the
by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.”
up-thrust of the fluid, is known as force of buoyancy or simply
buoyancy.”
• The buoyant force acts vertically upward through the centroid of the
displaced volume and can be defined mathematically by
Archimedes’ principle as follows:
𝐵𝐹 = 𝛾 𝑉
𝐵𝐹 = Buoyant force
𝛾 = Specific weight of the fluid
𝑉 = Displaced volume of fluid

Sample Problems
1. Find the volume of the water displaced and position of centre of buoyancy for a
wooden block of width 2.5 m and of depth 1.5 m, when it floats horizontally in water. The
density of wooden block is 650 kg/m3 and its length 6.0 m.
2. A wooden block of 4m x 1m x 0.5m in size and of specific gravity 0.75 is floating in
water. Find the weight of concrete of specific weight 24k kN/m3 that may be placed
on the block, which will immerse the wooden block completely.
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Solution:
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3. From the figure below, it is shown that the gate is 1.0 m wide and is hinged at
the bottom of the gate. Compute the following:
a. The hydrostatic force in kN acting on the gate
b. The location of the center of pressure of the gate from the hinge
c. the minimum volume of concrete (unit weight = 23.6 kN/m3) needed to
keep the gate in closed position .
Problem-2
A wooden block of 4m x 1m x 0.5m in size and of specific gravity 0.75
is floating in water. Find the weight of concrete of specific weight 24k
kN/m3 that may be placed on the block, which will immerse the
wooden block completely.
Solution:
Let W be the weight of Concrete required to be placed on wooden block.
Volume of wooden block  4 x 1 x 0.5  2m3
and its Weight  9.81 x 0.75 x 2  14.72 kN
 Total weight of the block and concrete  14.72  W kN
We know that when the block is completely immersed in water,
volume of water displaced  2m3
 Upward thrust when the block is completely immersed in water
 9.81 x 2  19.62 kN
Now equating the total weight of block and concrete with upward thrust
14.72  W  19.62
W  4.9 kN
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Buoyancy and Stability Buoyancy and Stability

Metacenter Metacentric Height:
• “Whenever a body, floating in a liquid, is given a small angular
• “The distance between centre of gravity of a floating body and the
displacement, it starts oscillating about some point. This point, about
metacentre (i.e distance between cg and m in Fig.) is called metacentric
which the body starts oscillating, is called metacenter.”
height.”
• Metacentric height of a floating body is a direct measure of its stability.
• The greater metacentric height of a floating body, the more it will stable
and vice versa.
• Some values of metacentric height:
• Merchant Ships = upto 1.0m
• Sailing Ships = upto 1.5m
• Battle Ships = upto 2.0m
• River Craft = upto 3.5m

Buoyancy and Stability

Buoyancy and Stability 1. Stable Equilibrium:
• A body is said to be in a stable equilibrium, if it returns back to its
original position, when given a small angular displacement.
Conditions of Equilibrium of a Floating Body: • This happens when metacentre (M) is higher than centre of gravity
(G) of the floating body.
• A body is said to be in equilibrium, when it remains in steady state,
While floating in a liquid following are the three conditions of
equilibrium of a floating body:
1. Stable Equilibrium
2. Unstable Equilibrium
3. Neutral Equilibrium
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Buoyancy and Stability

Buoyancy and Stability
2. Unstable Equilibrium:
• A body is said to be in a Unstable equilibrium, if it does not return
back to its original position, when given a small angular 3. Neutral Equilibrium:
displacement.
• A body is said to be in a neutral equilibrium, if it occupies a new
• This happens when metacenter (M) is lower than centre of gravity position and remains at rest in this new position, when given a
(G) of the floating body. small angular displacement.
• This happens when metacentre (M) coincides with centre of
gravity (G) of the floating body.

Strategy for solving buoyancy problems

(1)From geometry of body and density of fluid and body equate; 5. Calculate MBo,
Weight of displaced fluid = Total weight of body. This gives the 𝑣𝑠
depth of immersion of the body or the weight of the body, whichever 𝑀𝐵 =
𝑉 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
is unknown.
(2)To assess stability, first find the location of the center of gravity G of Where: 𝑣 − volume of the wedge either immersion or emersion
𝑠 − horizontal distance between the center of gravity of the wedges
the body.
(3)Then, find the location of the center of buoyancy Bo (centroid of If the angular displacement θ = 0
displaced volume). For a regularly shaped body this will be at half 𝐼
the height of the immersed portion of the body. 𝑀𝐵 =
𝑉
(4)Calculate the distance GBo.
For rectangular cross-section,

𝑏 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝜃
𝑀𝐵 = 1+
12ℎ 2
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Sample Problems
1. A block of wood (SG = 0.64) is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped
6. Calculate metacentric height, If MG > 0 then body is stable. If MG < having a 10-cm square base. If the block floats in salt water with its square
0 then body is unstable. base horizontal, what is the maximum height for stable equilibrium in the
upright position?
MG = MBo ± GBo
Note: Use (-) if G is above Bo
Use (+) if G is below Bo

Righting Moment or Overturning Moment

RM or OM = W(x) = W(MGsinθ)

Sample Problems
2. A rectangular scow 9 m wide, 15 m long, and 3.6 m high has a draft in sea
water of 2.4 m. Its center of gravity is 2.7 m above the bottom of the scow.
Determine the following:
a. The initial metacentric height
b. The righting or overturning moment when the scow tilts until one
side is just at the point of submergence.