BUOYANCY AND STABILITY

BUOYANCY
The buoyant force is defined as the net upward force exerted on a body immersed in a fluid.
According to Archimedes’ principle of buoyancy,“When a body is placed in a static fluid, it is buoyed up by a
force that is equal to the weight of the fluid that is displaced by the body.” Quantitatively, the buoyant force is
equal to the net hydrostatic force exerted on the surface of the body by the surrounding fluid.
Due to fluid pressure, the vertical resultant force acting upward on the bottom surface of the body,
ABC, is equivalent to the weight of fluid contained above this surface, that is, within the volume ABCEFA.
Likewise, the resultant force due to pressure acting downward on the top surface of the body, ADC, is
equivalent to the weight of fluid contained within the volume ADCEFA. The difference in these forces acts
upward. This is the buoyant force.

Buoyant force on a submerged body is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
𝐹𝑏 = 𝛾𝑓 𝑉𝑜 + 𝑉 − 𝛾𝑓 𝑉𝑜 = 𝛾𝑓 𝑉
𝐹𝑏 = 𝛾𝑓 𝑉𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑
Where
𝛾𝑓 = unit weight of fluid
𝑉 = volume of submerged body

The buoyant force acts vertically upward and passes through the centroid of the volume of fluid
displaced by the submerged body, where the centroid of the displaced volume is known as the center of
buoyancy. The center of buoyancy does not always coincide with the center of gravity of the body. If
𝑊𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 > 𝑊𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 the body will sink and the body will float if 𝑊𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 < 𝑊𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 . In the case of floating bodies,
the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the volume of fluid displaced.

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STABILITY
A submerged body is stable if any displacement from its equilibrium position induces a righting
moment that causes the body to return to its initial (equilibrium) position.
Stable equilibrium. The center of buoyancy is above the center of gravity of the floating body creating a
couple moment that would restore the body to the vertical position.

Unstable equilibrium. The center of gravity is above the center of buoyancy of the floating body creating a
couple moment that would cause the body to rotate farther from its equilibrium position.

Neutral equilibrium. The body is submerged so that the weight and the buoyant force is balanced causing
the body to remain in a fixed position even if the body rotates in place.

All floating bodies are vertically stable, because any vertical displacement of the body will induce a
net force that tends to restore the body to its original position. Stability of floating bodies is typically assessed
in the context of rotational stability, which is measured by the tendency of a rotated body to return to its
original position.
A measure of stability for floating bodies is the metacentric height, GM, which is the distance between
the center of gravity, G, and the metacenter, M. The metacenter is defined as the intersection of the lines of
action of the buoyant force through the body before and after rotation.

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 If the metacenter, M, is above the center of gravity, G, of the body then the body will float in
stable equilibrium. If the metacenter, M, is below the center of gravity, G, of the body then the body will
float in unstable equilibrium.

Metacentric height

𝐼𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒
𝐺𝑀 = − 𝐺𝐵
𝑉𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑
where 𝐼𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 is the centroidal moment of inertia of the shape of the area created by the
intersection of the floating body and the water surface, 𝑉𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑 is the volume of the submerged
portion of the body and 𝐺𝐵 is the distance from the center of gravity, G, of the floating body to the
center of buoyancy, B.
The metacentric height, GM, is positive when M is above G and negative when M is below G.
The distance GB is positive when B is below G and negative when B is above G.

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EXAMPLES
The cylinder floats in the water and oil to the level shown. Determine the weight of the cylinder.
Specific gravity of oil is 0.9.

SOLUTION
The cylinder is in equilibrium so it remains submerged

The cylinder remains submerged in the place

𝐹𝑜𝑖𝑙 = 𝛾𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑉𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑖𝑙
𝐹𝑜𝑖𝑙 = 0.9 9810 𝑁/𝑚3 𝜋 0.1 𝑚 2
0.1 𝑚 = 27.74 𝑁
𝐹𝑤 = 𝛾𝑤 𝑉𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
𝐹𝑤 = 9810 𝑁/𝑚3 𝜋 0.1 𝑚 2
0.2 𝑚 = 61.64 𝑁
Equilibrium yields
Σ𝐹𝑣 = 0, ↑ +
𝐹𝑜𝑖𝑙 + 𝐹𝑤 − 𝑊 = 0
27.74 𝑁 + 61.64 𝑁 − 𝑊 = 0
𝑊 = 89.38 𝑁

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A block floats in water at the depth shown. If its center of gravity is located at G determine whether the
body will restore itself when a wave causes it to roll at 5°.

SOLUTION
FBD of the block when it rolls

When the block rolls, the center of buoyancy, 𝐵, moves to position, 𝐵′, the centroid of the submerged
portion, abcde. Finding the centroidal distance of 𝐵′
𝐴𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑥𝑎𝑑𝑒 + 𝐴𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑 𝑥𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑
𝑥=
𝐴𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑𝑒
1 1
0.7 𝑚 8 𝑚 4 𝑚 − 3 8 𝑚 + 1.65 𝑚 8𝑚 0
𝑥= 2 = 0.23 𝑚
1
1.65 𝑚 8 𝑚 + 2 0.7 𝑚 8 𝑚
𝐴𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑦𝑎𝑑𝑒 + 𝐴𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑 𝑦𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑
𝑦=
𝐴𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑑𝑒
1 1 1.65 𝑚
0.7 𝑚 8 𝑚 1.65 𝑚 + 3 0.7 𝑚 + 1.65 𝑚 8 𝑚
2 2
𝑦= = 1.01 𝑚
1
1.65 𝑚 8 𝑚 + 2 0.7 𝑚 8 𝑚

Solving for 𝑀𝐵 and 𝑀𝐺

𝑥
tan 5° =
𝑀𝐵
0.23 𝑚
𝑀𝐵 = = 2.63 𝑚
tan 5°
𝑀𝐺 = 𝑀𝐵 − 𝐺𝐵
𝑀𝐺 = 2.63 𝑚 − 2 𝑚 = 0.63 𝑚
Metacenter is above G.

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Solving for distance 𝐵𝑤′
𝐵𝑤′
tan 5° =
𝐺𝐵
𝐵𝑤 ′ = 2 𝑚 tan 5° = 0.17 𝑚
Since 𝑥 = 𝐵𝐵 ′ = 0.23 𝑚
𝐵𝑤 ′ < 𝐵𝐵′
The center of buoyancy is to the right of the center of gravity. The righting moment will cause the block to
rotate to its original position. Therefore, the block is stable and it will restore itself.
Metacentric height of the floating body

𝐼𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒
𝐺𝑀 = − 𝐺𝐵
𝑉𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑
Assume 1 m length
1𝑚 8𝑚 3
𝐼𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 =
12
The center of buoyancy is at the centroid of the submerged volume, thus 𝐺𝐵 = 2 𝑚
1𝑚 8𝑚 3
𝐺𝑀 = 12 −2𝑚
2𝑚 8𝑚 1𝑚
𝑮𝑴 = 𝟎. 𝟔𝟕 𝒎