BUOYANCY AND STABILITY OF SUBMERGED AND FLOATING BODIES

Submerged Body

When a body such as DHCK in Fig. 3.18 is immersed in a fluid, the forces acting on it are gravity
and the pressures of the surrounding fluid. On its upper surface the vertical component of the
force is Fz and is equal to the weight of the volume of fluid ABCHD. In a similar manner, the
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vertical component of force on the undersurface is Fz and is equal to the weight of the volume
of fluid ABCKD. The difference between these two volumes is the volume  of the body
DHCK.

Buoyancy. Let us denote the buoyant force of a fluid by FB, and observe that it is vertically
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upward and equal to Fz - Fz which is equal to the weight of the volume of fluid DHCK. That is,

the buoyant force on any body is equal to the weight of fluid displaced, or in equation form,
FB   fluid 

This is probably the best-known discovery of Archimedes (287-212 B.C.), a Greek philosopher
acclaimed as the father of hydrostatics, and one of the earliest known pioneers of fluid mechanics.

If the body in Fig. 3.18 is in equilibrium, W is equal and opposite to FB, which means that the
densities of the body and the fluid are equal. If W is greater than FB, the body will sink. If W is
less than FB, the body will rise until its density and that of the fluid are equal, as in the case of a
balloon in the air or, in the case of a liquid with a free surface, the body will rise to the surface
until the weight of the displaced liquid equals the weight of the body. If the body is less
compressible than the fluid, there is a definite level at which it will reach equilibrium. If it is
more compressible than the fluid, it will rise indefinitely, provided the fluid has no definite upper
limit.

Stability. When we give a body in equilibrium a slight angular displacement (tilt or list), a
horizontal distance a then separates W and FB, which in combination create moments that tend to
rotate the body, as we can see in Fig. 3.19. If the moments tend to restore the body to its original
position, the lesser of the two moments is called the righting moment (Fig. 3.19), and we say the
body is in stable equilibrium. The stability of submerged or floating bodies depends on the
relative positions of the buoyant force and the weight of the body. The buoyant force acts through
the center of buoyancy B, which corresponds to the center of gravity of the displaced fluid. The
criterion for stability of a fully submerged body (balloon or submarine, etc.) is that the center of
buoyancy is above the center of gravity of the body. From Fig. 3.19 we can see that if B were
initially below G, the center of gravity, then the moment created by a tilt would tend to increase
the displacement.

Floating Body

For a body in a liquid with a free surface, if its weight W is less than that of the same volume of
liquid, it will rise and float on the surface as in Fig. 3.20, so that W = FB. The forces then acting
on body AHBK are gravity and the pressures of the fluids in contact with it. The vertical
component of force on the undersurface is F; and this is equal to the weight of the volume of
liquid AKB. This volume is the volume of liquid displaced by the body.

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Buoyancy. The buoyant force FB is vertically upward and equal to Fz . So, just as for a fully
submerged body, the buoyant force acting on a floating body is equal to the weight of liquid
displaced. Thus a floating body displaces a volume of liquid equivalent to its weight. For
equilibrium, the two forces Wand FB must be equal and opposite, and must lie in the same
vertical line.

The atmospheric pressure is transmitted through the liquid to act equally on all surfaces of the
body. As a result, it has zero net effect. Any buoyancy due to the weight of air displaced by the
portion of the body above the liquid surface is usually negligible in comparison with the weight
of liquid displaced.

A practical application of the buoyancy principle is the hydrometer, an instrument we use to

measure the specific gravity of liquids. It has a thin, uniform stem of constant cross-sectional
area, say A. Weights make it float upright as in Fig. 3.21a, with a reference mark that is at the
water surface when floating in pure water (s = 1.0). When floating in a denser liquid of specific
gravity s (Fig. 3.21b), the volume of liquid displaced is smaller, so less is submerged and the
reference mark is some height  h above the water surface. If the submerged volume in pure
water is  , then in the denser liquid it is  - A  h, and the
Hydrometer floating in two different liquids.

hydrometer’s weight

W   w   ( s w )(  Ah)

  s 1
h   
from which A s  (3.22)
Using Eq. (3.22) we can calculate the spacing for a specific gravity scale on the stem.

Stability. If a righting moment develops when a floating body lists, the body will be stable
regardless of whether the center of buoyancy is above or below the center of gravity. Examples of
stable and unstable floating bodies are shown in Fig. 3.22. In these examples the stable body is
the one where the center of buoyancy B is above the center of gravity G (Fig. 3.22a), and the
unstable body has B below G (Fig. 3.22b). However, for floating bodies note that the location of
B below G does not guarantee instability as it does for submerged bodies, discussed previously.
This is because the position of the center of buoyancy B can move relative to a floating body as it
tilts, due to its shape, whereas for a fully submerged body the position of B is fixed relative to the
body. Figure 3.23 illustrates this point; from these cross sections through the hull of a ship we can
see that it is stable even though B is below G. Because of the cross-sectional shape, as the ship
tilts to the right (Fig. 3.23b) the center of gravity of the displaced water (i.e., B) moves to the
right further than the line of action of the body weight W; and so the buoyancy provides a
righting moment FE x a. Clearly, therefore, the stabilities of many floating bodies (those with B
below G) depend upon their shapes.

If liquid in the hull of a ship is not constrained, the center of mass of the floating body will move
toward the center of buoyancy when the ship rolls, thus decreasing the righting couple and the
stability. For this reason, floating vessels usually store liquid ballast or fuel oil in tanks or
bulkheaded compartments.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 3.9

The pontoon shown in Fig. S3.9 is 15 ft long, 9 ft wide, and 4 ft high, and is built of uniform
material,  = 45Ib/ft3. (a) How much of it is submerged when floating in water? (b) If it is tilted
about its long axis by an applied couple (no net force), to an angle of 12°, what will be the
moment of the righting couple?

Solution
(a) Floating level, let d = the depth of submergence. Then
W = F ; 15(9)4(45) = 15(9)d(62.4); d = 2.885 ft ANS
(b) At 12° tilt, let AD be the water line (see Fig. S3.9).

Divide the buoyancy force into two components B1 and B2, due to the rectangular block AEHK
and the triangular prism ADE of displaced water, respectively.
DE = 2e = b tan 12° = 9 tan 12° = 1.913 ft; NI = e = 0.957 ft
As there is no net force, MN = d = 2.885 ft. Therefore
Bi is at the centroid of the block AEHK, so
GB1 = 1/2(h - c) = 1/2(4 - 1.928) = 1.036 ft; a1 = GB1 sin 12° = 0.215 ft
F1=  bc = 45(15)9(1.928) = 11,710Ib
B2 is at the centroid of the triangle ADE, so
JE = b/3, IJ = b/6 = 1.5 ft, B2J = 2/3e = 0.638 ft
G is at the centroid of the major rectangle, so MG = h/2 = 2 ft,
GI = MG - MI = MG - c = 2 - 1.928 = 0.0719 ft
a2 = IJ cos12° + (B2J - GI) sin12° = 1.585 ft
F2 =  Lbe = 45(15)9(0.957) = 5810lb
Counterclockwise moments about G:
Righting moment = F2a2 – F1a1 = 5810(1.585) - 11,710(0.215)
 = 6690lb.ft ANS
EXERCISES

3.9.1 A balloon weighs 160 lb and has a volume of 7200 ft3. It is filled with helium, which
weighs 0.0112 Ib/ft3 at the temperature and pressure of the air, which in turn weighs 0.0807
Ib/ft3. What load will the balloon support, or what force in a cable would be required to keep it
from rising?
3.9.2 For the conditions shown in Fig. X3.9.2, find the force F required to lift the
concrete-block gate if the concrete weighs 23.6 kN/m3. Neglect friction.

3.9.3 An iceberg in the ocean floats with one-eighth of its volume above the surface. What is its
specific gravity relative to ocean water, which weighs 64 lb/ft3? What portion of its volume
would be above the surface if the ice were floating in pure water?

3.9.4 Determine the volume of an object that weighs 200 N in water and 300 N in oil
(s = 0.88). What is the specific weight of the object?
3.9.5 An 8-in-diameter solid cylinder 3 in high weighing 3.4 lb is immersed in liquid (  = 52
lb/ ft3) contained in a tall, upright metal cylinder of 9 in inside diameter (Fig. X3.9.5). Before
immersion, the liquid was 3 in deep (= x + z). At what level will the solid cylinder float? Find the
distance z between the bottoms of the two cylinders.

3.9.6 A metal block 1.5 ft square and 1 ft deep is floated on a body of liquid consisting of a 10-in-
layer of water above a layer of mercury. The block metal weighs
120 lb/ft3. (a) What is the position of the bottom of the block? (b) If a downward vertical force of
600 lb now acts on the center of this block, what is the new position of the bottom of the block?
Assume that the tank containing the fluid is of infinite dimensions.
3.9.7 Two spheres, each of 1.5 m diameter, weigh 8 and 24 kN, respectively. They are connected
with a short rope and placed in water. (a) What is the tension in the rope and what portion of the
lighter sphere's volume protrudes from the water? (b) What should be the weight of the heavier
sphere in order for the lighter sphere to float halfway out of the water? Assume that the sphere
volumes remain constant.

3.9.8 A hydrometer (Fig. 3.22a) consists of a 6-mm-diameter cylinder of length

180 mm attached to a 20-mm-diameter weighted sphere. The cylinder has a mass of 0.6 g and the
mass of the sphere is 6.4 g. At what level will this device float in liquids having specific gravities
0.8, 1.0, and 1.2? Is the scale spacing on the cylindrical stem uniform? Why or why not?
3.9.9 A cylindrical bucket of 250 mm diameter and 400 mm high weighing 20.0 N contains oil (s
= 0.80) to a depth of 180 mm. (a) When placed to float in water, what will be the immersion
depth to the bottom of the bucket? (b) What is the maximum volume of oil the bucket can hold
and still float?
3.9.10 End D of an 8-ft-long, uniformly thin wooden rod (s = 0.7) is held 1 ft below the surface of
still water. (a) How much of the rod remains above the water surface? (b) If the rod diameter is 1
in, what force at D is required to hold it in place?
3.9.11 A solid, half-cylinder-shaped log, of 1.50 ft radius and 10 ft long, floats in water with the
flat face up (Fig. X3.9.11). (a) If the draft (immersion depth of the lowest point) is 0.90 ft, what
is the uniform specific weight of the log?
(b) The log tilts about its axis (zero net applied force) by less than 23°. Is it in stable equilibrium?
Justify your answer with a sketch and logic. (c) If the log tilts by 20° (right side down; zero net
applied force), what is the magnitude and sense of any moment that results?

3.9.12 A solid, half-cylinder-shaped log, of 0.48 m radius and 2.5 m long, floats in water with the
flat face up (see Fig. X3.9.11). (a) If the draft (immersion depth of the lowest point) is 0.30 m,
what is the uniform specific weight of the log? (b) The log tilts about its axis (zero net applied
force) by less than 22°. Is it in stable equilibrium? Justify your answer with a sketch and logic. (c)
If the log tilts by 18° (left side down; zero net applied force), what is the magnitude and sense of
any moment that results?