TOPIC 2.

Buoyancy

Week 6
 Overview

2.2.1 Introduction
2.2.2 Principle of buoyancy
2.2.3 Equilibrium of floating bodies
2.2.4 Stability of a submerged body
2.2.5 Stability of a floating body
2.2.6 Metacentre and metacentric height

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 Learning Outcomes
• Formulate and apply buoyancy principles of
fully submerged and floating bodies to solve
problems.

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Recall your physics

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Objective: To investigate the relationship between the
weight of water displaced and the buoyant force.

Conclusion: The weight of water displaced is equal to

the buoyant force.
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Archimedes’ Principle:
For a body completely or partially immersed in a liquid,
the upward buoyant force acting on the body is equal
to the weight of the liquid it displaces.

Buoyant force = Weight of liquid displaced

Fb = Wdisplaced
Fb = gVd

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 2.2.1 Introduction
• Buoyancy is the vertical force exerted by the fluid
on an immersed body.
• Buoyancy = Weight of fluid displaced by the body
Fb = Buoyant force
Fb = gVd
 = Density of liquid
Vd = Displaced volume of liquid

• Centre of buoyancy: The point which buoyancy is

acting & the centroid of the displaced volume of
fluid.

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2.2.2 Principle of buoyancy
Fb1

Fluid of density ρ1
Vd1
cb1

cb2
Vd2
Fluid of density ρ2

Fb2

Upthrust on upper part, 𝐹𝑏1 = 𝜌1 𝑔𝑉1 acting through 𝑐b1

Upthrust on lower part, 𝐹𝑏2 = 𝜌2 𝑔𝑉2 acting through 𝑐𝑏2
Total upthrust = 𝜌1 𝑔𝑉1 + 𝜌2 𝑔𝑉2

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Procedure for solving buoyancy problems

1. Draw FBD.
2. Write vertical equilibrium equation,
F V =0

3. Solve for the required by applying buoyancy

principles:
i. Buoyant force, Fb = gVd

i. Weight of object, W = gVO

Vd
i. Depth of immersion, x=
A
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 Example
A stone weighs 665 N in the air. When the stone is
completely submerged in water, it weighs 420 N.
Calculate the volume of the stone. The unit weight of
the stone is 9,803 N/m3.
𝑊𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 = 665𝑁
෍𝑉 = 0
𝑊𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 420𝑁
𝐹𝑏 − 𝑊 = 0
𝐹𝑏 = 𝑊𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 − 𝑊𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐹𝑏 = 𝑊
𝐹𝑏 = 665 − 420 220 = 𝜌𝑔𝑉𝑂
𝐹𝑏 = 220 N 220 = 9830 × 𝑉𝑂
0.0224𝑚3 = 𝑉𝑂

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 Example
W
A 60 mm cube is made of 40 mm
rigid foam material and
floats in water with a depth
of 40 mm below the water Fb Water
surface as shown in Figure.
Determine the magnitude
and direction of the force Fe
Glycerine
required to hold the cube
completely submerged in
W
glycerine, which has a
specific gravity of 1.26.

Fb
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 Vd = 0.06  0.06  0.04 = 1.44 10 −4 m 3

F V =0
Fb = W
Fb = 9810  1.44  10 − 4 = 1.413 N

Vd = 0.06  0.06  0.06 = 2.16 10 −4 m 3

F V =0
Fb = Fe − W
Fe = Fb − W
( )
Fe = 1260  9.81 2.16 10 − 4 − 1.413 = 1.257 N

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 Try yourself
Find the density of a
metallic body which floats
at the interface of
mercury of specific gravity
13.6 and water such that
40% of its volume is
submerged in mercury
and 60% in water.
(Ans: 6040 kg/m3)

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TOPIC 2.2

Buoyancy

Week 7
 Overview

2.2.1 Introduction
2.2.2 Principle of buoyancy
2.2.3 Equilibrium of floating bodies
2.2.4 Stability of a submerged body
2.2.5 Stability of a floating body
2.2.6 Metacentre and metacentric height

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 Learning Outcomes
• Evaluate the stability of a floating and fully
submerged body.
• Define the metacenter and metacentric
height.

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 2.2.3 Equilibrium of floating
bodies
• When a body floats in vertical equilibrium in a liquid, the
buoyant force will act through the centre of buoyancy and
the weight of the body acts through its centre of gravity.
• For equilibrium, both buoyant force and weight must be
equal and act in the same straight line.
• The equilibrium of a body may be stable, unstable or
neutral, depending upon whether, when given a small
displacement, it tends to return to the equilibrium position,
move further from it or remain in the displaced position.
• For a floating body, such as a ship, stability is of major
importance.

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 2.2.4 Stability of a fully
submerged body
• The weight W = mg acts through
the centre of gravity of the body.
• The upthrust FB acts through the
centre of buoyancy, B.
• For fully immersed body, the
shape of the displaced fluid is
not altered when the body is
tilted and so the centre of
buoyancy remains unchanged
relative to the body.

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• When there is a small angular
displacement θ, moment will be
generated, hence;
– If the centre of gravity G is below
the centre of buoyancy B, this
will be a righting moment and
the body will tend to return to its
equilibrium position (stable) - Fig.
(a)
– If the centre of gravity is above
the centre of buoyancy, an
overturning moment is produced
and the body is unstable - Fig. (b)
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 2.2.5 Stability of a floating
body
The weight W acts through the centre of gravity CG
and the upthrust FB acts through the centre of
buoyancy CB of the displaced fluid.

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When the body is displaced through an angle θ
(Fig.(b)), W continues to act through CG; the
volume of liquid remains unchanged since FB =
W, but the shape of this volume changes and
its centre of gravity, which is the centre of
buoyancy, moves relative to the body from CB
to CB’.
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Since FB and W are no
longer in the same
straight line, a turning
moment proportional to
W × θ is produced, which
in Fig. (b) is a righting
moment and in Fig. (d) is
an overturning moment.

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 2.2.6 Metacentre and
metacentric height
If metacentre (MC) is the point
at which the line of action of
the upthrust FB cuts the
original vertical through the
centre of gravity of the body
CG,
x = MB  
provided that the angle of tilt
θ is small, so that sin θ = tan θ
= θ in radians.

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The point MC is called the
metacentre and the
distance MB is the
metacentric height
(measured from centre of
buoyancy).
I
MB =
Vd

MB = Metacentric height
I = Second moment of area
of horizontal section of the body
taken at the surface of the fluid
Vd = Displaced volume of liquid

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 Comparing Fig.(b) and (d)
If MC lies above CG, a righting moment W × MB × θ is
produced, equilibrium is stable and MB is regarded as
positive.

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 Comparing Fig.(b) and (d)
If MC lies below CG, an overturning moment W × MB ×
θ is produced, equilibrium is unstable and MB is
regarded as negative.
If MC coincides with CG, the body is in neutral
equilibrium.

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 Procedure for determining stability of floating bodies

• Determine the position of floating body using the buoyancy

principles.
• Locate CB and calculate the distance from the bottom of body
to CB: ycb
• Locate CG and calculate the distance from the bottom of body
to CG: ycg
• Calculate second moment of area I of the plane cut by the
water surface hence calculate MB.
MB = I
Vd

• Calculate the distance from the bottom of the body to MB

using ,
y mc = y cb + MB
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 Example
A flatboat hull weighs 130 kN when fully loaded. Figure (a)
and (b) show the front and side views of the boat.
Determine whether the boat is stable in water and find out
if the boat will float. The centre of gravity is at 0.7 m
measured from the bottom of the boat. The length of the
boat is 6.0 m, the width is 2.2 m and the height is 1.2 m.

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 Example
A piece of cork has
been cut to take the
shape as shown in
Figure and has a
specific weight of 2.36
kNm-3 . The cork is then
put into turpentine
which has a specific
gravity of 0.87 as
shown in Fig. (b).
Determine whether
the cork is stable.

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 Example
A cylindrical buoy 1.8 m in
diameter, 1.2 m high and
weighing 10 kN floats in
salt water of density 1025
kgm-3. Its centre of gravity
is 0.45 m from the bottom.
If a load of 2 kN is placed
on the top, find the
maximum height of centre
of gravity of this load
above the bottom if the
buoy is to remain in stable
equilibrium.
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 Try yourself
A wooden cone floats in water in the position shown in Figure
(a). Determine whether the cone is stable or not if the specific
gravity of the wood is 0.65.

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End of Topic 2.2.2

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