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Buoyancy and Stability

The document discusses buoyancy and stability of submerged and floating bodies. It defines buoyancy force and how it depends on the density of the fluid and submerged volume. It also discusses the conditions for stable, neutral and unstable equilibrium of submerged and floating bodies based on the relative positions of the center of buoyancy and center of gravity. The document further introduces metacentric height as a measure of stability for floating bodies.

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64 views7 pages

Buoyancy and Stability

The document discusses buoyancy and stability of submerged and floating bodies. It defines buoyancy force and how it depends on the density of the fluid and submerged volume. It also discusses the conditions for stable, neutral and unstable equilibrium of submerged and floating bodies based on the relative positions of the center of buoyancy and center of gravity. The document further introduces metacentric height as a measure of stability for floating bodies.

Uploaded by

jimmy mlelwa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

Buoyancy and Floatation


1.1 Buoyancy
It is a common experience that an object feels lighter and weighs less in a liquid than
it does in air. Also, objects made of wood or other light materials float on water.
These and other observations suggest that a fluid exerts an upward force on a body
immersed in it. This force that tends to lift the body is called the buoyant force and is
denoted by F B.
The buoyant force is caused by the increase of pressure in a fluid with depth.
Consider, for example, a flat plate of thickness h submerged in a liquid of density ρ f
parallel to the free surface, as shown in Fig. below

The area of the top (and also bottom) surface of the plate is A, and its distance to the
free surface is S. The pressures at the top and bottom surfaces of the plate are ρ f gS
and ρ f g (S+ h), respectively. Then the hydrostatic force F top= ρ f gSA acts downward
on the top surface, and the larger force F bottom=¿: ρ f g (S+ h) A acts upward on the
bottom surface of the plate. The difference between these two forces is a net upward
force, which is the buoyant force,
F B=F bottom−F top =ρf g ( S +h ) A−ρf gSA

F B= ρf ghA
The volume of the displaced liquid is equal to the volume of the plate. Therefore, the
buoyant force has a magnitude equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body
and is directed vertically upward.
Thus, The buoyant force acting on a body immersed in a fluid is equal to
the weight of the fluid displaced by the body, and it acts upward
through the centroid of the displaced volume
Note that the buoyant force is independent of the distance of the body from the free
surface. It is also independent of the density of the solid body.
1.2 Floating bodies

For floating bodies, the weight of the entire body must be equal to the buoyant force,
which is the weight of the fluid whose volume is equal to the volume of the
submerged portion of the floating body. That is,

F B=Wt → ρf g V ¿ =Average body density × g ×Total body Volume

ρ f g V ¿ =ρ Av . body × g ×V Total

V¿ ρ Av . body
=
V Total ρf

Therefore, the submerged volume fraction of a floating body is equal to the ratio of
the average density of the body to the density of the fluid. Note that when the density
ratio is equal to or greater than one, the floating body becomes completely
submerged.

It follows from these discussions that a body immersed in a fluid


1) Remains at rest at any point in the fluid when its density is equal to the density of
the fluid,
2) Sinks to the bottom when its density is greater than the density of the fluid, and 3)
Rises to the surface of the fluid and floats when the density of the body is less than the
density of the fluid
2. STABILITY OF SUBMRGED AND FLOATING BODIES
Stability of a body: A ship or a boat should not overturn due to small disturbances but
should be stable and return, to its original position. Equilibrium of a body exists when there is
no resultant force or moment on the body. A body can stay in three states of stability and can
easily analysed by using a ball on the floor.

Three balls at rest on three different types of floor: The ball is

a) STABLE since any small disturbance (someone moves the ball to the right or left)
generates a restoring force (due to gravity) that returns it to its initial position.
b) NEUTRALLY STABLE because if someone moves the ball to the right or left, it
would stay put at its new location. It has no tendency to move back to its original
location, nor does it continue to move away.
c) UNSTABLE since any disturbance, even an infinitesimal one, causes the ball to roll
off the hill –it does not return to its original position; rather it diverges from it.

2.1 STABILITY OF IMMERSED BODIES

The stability of an immersed body depends on the relative locations of the center of gravity G
of the body and the center of buoyancy B that is the centroid of the displaced volume

Stable Equilibrium

Consider a submerged body in equilibrium whose centre of gravity is located below the
centre of buoyancy.
Figure above shows the body is stable due to the heavy bottom, thus point G is directly
below point B. A rotational disturbance of the body in such cases produces a restoring
moment to return the body to its original stable position. Therefore, a stable design for a
submarine calls for the engines and the cabins for the crew to be located at the lower half in
order to shift the weight to the bottom as much as possible.

Unstable Equilibrium

On the other hand, if point G is above point B the body is unstable and any disturbance from
the equilibrium position will create a destroying couple which will turn the body away from
its original position (Figure below).
Neutral Equilibrium

When the centre of gravity G and centre of buoyancy B coincides, the body will always
assume the same position in which it is placed (Figure below) and hence it is in neutral
equilibrium. This is the case for bodies whose density is constant throughout

Therefore, it can be concluded that a submerged body will be in stable, unstable or neutral
equilibrium if its centre of gravity is below, above or coincident with the center of
buoyancy respectively

2.2 STABILITY OF FLOATING BODIES

The floating body is bottom-heavy and thus the center of gravity G is directly below the
center of buoyancy B, the body is always stable. But unlike immersed bodies, a floating body
may still be stable when G is directly above B as shown before.

This is because the centroid of the displaced volume shifts to the side to a point B’ during a
rotational disturbance while the center of gravity G of the body remains unchanged. If point
B’ is sufficiently far, these two forces create a restoring moment and return the body to the
original position
2.3 A MEASURE OF STABILITY FOR FLOATING BODIES

A measure of stability for floating bodies is the Metacentric height GM, which is the
distance between the center of gravity G and the metacentre M—the intersection point of the
lines of action of the buoyant force through the body before and after rotation.
A floating body is stable if point M is above point G, and thus GM is positive and unstable if
point M is below point G, and thus GM is negative. In the latter case, the weight and the
buoyant force acting on the tilted body generate an overturning moment instead of a restoring
moment, causing the body to capsize. The length of the metacentric height GM above G is a
measure of the stability: the larger it is, the more stable is the floating body.
A floating body is stable if the body is bottom-heavy and thus the center of gravity G is
below the centroid B of the body, or if the metacentre, M is above point G. However, the
body is unstable if point M is below point G.

Stable Equilibrium: M above G


Unstable Equilibrium: M below G
Neutral Equilibrium: M coincides with G
1. A crane is used to lower weights into the sea (density = 1025 kg/m3) for an
underwater construction project (Fig.). Determine the tension in the rope of the crane
due to a rectangular 0.4×0.4×3 m concrete block (density= 2300 kg/m3) when it is (a)
suspended in the air and (b) completely immersed in water. The buoyancy of air is
negligible. The weight of the ropes is negligible.
2. A cylinder of diameter 0.3 m and height 0.6 m stays afloat vertically in water at a
depth of 1 m from the free surface to the top surface of the cylinder. Determine the
buoyant force on the cylinder. Check the value from basics
3. A cube 0.50 m on a side is made of bronze having a specific weight of 86.9kN/m3 .
Determine the magnitude and direction of the force required to hold the cube in
equilibrium completely submerged (a) in water and (b) in mercury. The specific
gravity of mercury is 13.54
4. A cube 80 mm on a side is made of a rigid foam material and floats in water with 60
mm of the cube below the surface. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the force
required to hold it completely submerged in glycerine, which has a specific gravity of
1.26.
5. A brass cube 152.4 mm on a side weighs 298.2 N. We want to hold this cube in
equilibrium under water by attaching a light foam buoy to it. If the foam weighs 707.3
N/m3 , what is the minimum required volume of the buoy?
6. Ship weighing 4000 tons and having an area of 465 m2 at water line submerging to
depth of 4.5 m in sea water with a density of 1024 kg/m3 moves to fresh water.
Determine the depth of submergence in fresh water. Assume that sides are vertical at
the water line.
7. A hydrometer (to measure specific gravity of a liquid) is in the form of a sphere of 25
mm dia attached to a cylindrical stem of 8 mm dia and 250 mm length. The total mass
of the unit is 14 grams. Determine the depth of immersion of the stem in liquids of
specific gravity of 0.75, 0.85, 0.95. 1.05 and 1.15.
8. A mass of volume 0.1 m3 attached to a balloon of 0.3 m3 at a pressure of 1.4 bar (abs)
weigh totally 2000 N. The unit is released in the sea. Determine the level to which the
unit will sink. Assume the specific weight of sea water as 10000 N/m3 and the air
temperature in the balloon remains constant

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