Tutorial 2 -Buoyancy

1. A spherical buoy is anchored to a tank with
a cable. This buoy is designed to float for it to
be seen above the water surface. At times
however, the water level rises such that the
buoy is completely submerged. If the buoy is 1
m in diameter and it has a material density of
750 kg/m3, find the tension in the cable.
Buoyant force = Weight of the displaced liquid (water)
= ρH2O g Vbuoy
= (1000 kg/m3) (9.81 m/s2) (4/3 π (0.5)3 m3) (1 N / 1 kg.m/s2)
= 5136.5 N
Weight of buoy = ρbuoy g Vbuoy
= (750 kg/m3) (9.81 m/s2 ) (4/3 π (0.5)3 m3) (1 N / 1 kg.m/s2)
= 3852.4 N

Tension in the cable, T,

F=T+W

T=F–W
= 5136.5 N – 3852.4 N
= 1284.1 N
2. The wooden (sg = 0.5) 100 cm stick is
floating with 13 cm out of the water surface.
Determine the tension in the string if the
meter stick cross-section area is 2 cm2.
h = 100 cm – 13 cm = 87 cm = 0.87 m
Buoyant force = Weight of the displaced liquid (water)
= ρH2O g Vwooden stick
= ρH2O g Awooden stick hwooden stick
= (1000 kg/m3) (9.81 m/s2) (2 x 10-4 m2) (0.87 m) (1 N / 1 kg.m/s2)
= 1.7069 N

Weight of the wooden stick = ρwooden stick g Vwooden stick

= (0.5) (1000 kg/m3 ) (9.81 m/s2 ) (2 x 10-4 m2 ) (1 m) (1 N / 1 kg.m/s2)
= 0.981 N

Tension in the cable, T,

F=T+W

T=F–W
= 1.7069 N – 0.9810 N
= 0.726 N
 Solution The height of the portion of a cubic ice block that extends above the water surface is
• 3. Consider a large cubic ice block measured. The height of the ice block below the surface is to be determined.

floating in water. The specific gravities
of ice and water are 0.92 and 1.001
respectively. If a 25-cm-high portion of
the ice block extends above the
surface of the water, determine the
height of the ice block below the
surface.
Assumptions 1 The buoyancy force in air is negligible. 2 The top surface of the ice block is parallel to
the surface of the sea.
Properties The specific gravities of ice and seawater are given to be 0.92 and 1.025, respectively,
and thus the corresponding densities are 920 kg/m3 and 1025 kg/m3.
Analysis The weight of a body floating in a fluid is equal to the buoyant force acting on it (a
consequence of vertical force balance from static equilibrium). Therefore, in this case the average
density of the body must be equal to the density of the fluid since
W = FB →  body gV total =  fluid gV submerged

V submerged  body
=
V total  fluid

The cross-sectional of a cube is constant, and thus the “volume

ratio” can be replaced by “height ratio”. Then,
hsubmerged  body h  h 0.92
= → = ice → =
htotal  fluid h + 0.25  water h + 0.25 1.001

where h is the height of the ice block below the surface. Solving for h gives
(0.92)(0.25)
h= = 2.84m
1.001 − 0.92
Discussion Note that 0.92/1.001 = 0.9191, so approximately 92% of the volume of an ice block
remains under water. For symmetrical ice blocks this also represents the fraction of height that
remains under water.
4. A 60-cm-high, 40-cm-diameter
cylindrical water tank is being
transported on a level road. The highest
acceleration anticipated is 4 m/s2.
Determine the allowable initial water
height in the tank if no water is to spill
out during acceleration.
Assumptions 1 The road is horizontal during acceleration so that acceleration has no vertical
component (az = 0). 2 Effects of splashing, breaking, driving over bumps, and climbing hills are
assumed to be secondary, and are not considered. 3 The acceleration remains constant.
Analysis We take the x-axis to be the direction of motion, the z-axis to be the upward vertical
direction, and the origin to be the midpoint of the tank bottom. The tangent of the angle the free
surface makes with the horizontal is
ax 4
tan  = = = 0.4077 (and thus  = 22.2)
g + a z 9.81 + 0
The maximum vertical rise of the free surface occurs at the back of the tank, and the vertical midplane
experiences no rise or drop during acceleration. Then the maximum vertical rise at the back of the
tank relative to the midplane is
z max = ( D / 2) tan  = [(0.40 m)/2]  0.4077 = 0.082 m = 8.2 cm
Therefore, the maximum initial water height in the tank to avoid spilling is
hmax = h tank − z max = 60 − 8.2 = 51.8 cm
Discussion Note that the analysis is valid for any fluid with constant density, not just water, since
we used no information that pertains to water in the solution.
5. A 3-m-diameter vertical cylindrical milk Solution A vertical cylindrical milk tank is rotated at constant speed, and the pressure at the
tank rotates at a constant rate of 12 rpm. If center of the bottom surface is measured. The pressure at the edge of the bottom surface is to be
the pressure at the centre of the bottom determined.
Assumptions 1 The increase in the rotational speed is very slow so that the liquid in the container
surface is 130 kPa, determine the pressure always acts as a rigid body. 2 Milk is an incompressible substance.
at the edge of the bottom surface of the Properties The density of the milk is given to be 1030 kg/m3.
tank. Take the density of the milk to be Analysis Taking the center of the bottom surface of the rotating vertical cylinder as the origin (r
= 0, z = 0), the equation for the free surface of the liquid is given as
1030 kg/m3.
2
z s (r ) = h0 − ( R 2 − 2r 2 )
4g

where R = 1.5 m is the radius, and

 1 min 
 = 2n = 2 (12 rev/min)   = 1.2566 rad/s
 60 s 

The fluid rise at the edge relative to the center of the tank is

  2R2     2 R 2 (1.2566 rad/s) 2 (1.50 m) 2

 −  h0 −  R
2 2
h = z s ( R) − z s (0) =  h0 + = = = 1.1811 m
 4g   4g  2g 2(9.81 m/s 2 )
   

The pressure difference corresponding to this fluid height difference is

 1 kN 
P bottom = gh = (1030 kg/m 3 )(9.81 m/s 2 )(1.1811 m)   = 1.83 kN/m 2 = 1.83 kPa
 1000 kg  m/s 2 
 

Then the pressure at the edge of the bottom surface becomes

Pbottom, edge = Pbottom, center + Pbottom = 130 + 1.83 = 131.83 kPa  132 kPa

Discussion Note that the pressure is 1.4% higher at the edge relative to the center of the tank,
and there is a fluid level difference of 1.18 m between the edge and center of the tank, and these
differences should be considered when designing rotating fluid tanks.
6. Milk with a density of 1020 kg/m3 is
transported on a level road in a 9-m-long,
3-m-diameter cylindrical tanker. The tanker
is completely filled with milk (no air space),
and it accelerates at 4 m/s2. If the minimum
pressure in the tanker is 100 kPa,
determine the maximum pressure
difference and the location of the maximum
pressure.
Assumptions 1 The acceleration remains constant. 2 Milk is an incompressible substance.
Properties The density of the milk is given to be 1020 kg/m3.
Analysis We take the x- and z- axes as shown. The horizontal acceleration is in the negative x
direction, and thus ax is negative. Also, there is no acceleration in the vertical direction, and thus az =
0. The pressure difference between two points 1 and 2 in an incompressible fluid in linear rigid body
motion is given by
P2 − P1 = −a x ( x 2 − x1 ) −  ( g + a z )( z 2 − z1 ) → P2 − P1 = −a x ( x 2 − x1 ) − g ( z 2 − z1 )
The first term is due to acceleration in the horizontal direction and the resulting compression effect
towards the back of the tanker, while the second term is simply the hydrostatic pressure that increases
with depth. Therefore, we reason that the lowest pressure in the tank will occur at point 1 (upper
front corner), and the higher pressure at point 2 (the lower rear corner). Therefore, the maximum
pressure difference in the tank is
Pmax = P2 − P1 = − a x ( x 2 − x1 ) − g ( z 2 − z1 ) = −[a x ( x 2 − x1 ) + g ( z 2 − z1 )]
 
= −(1020 kg/m 3 ) (−4 m/s 2 )(9 m) + (9.81 m/s 2 )(−3 m)  
1 kN 

 1000 kg  m/s 2 
 
= (36.72 + 30.0) kN/m 2 = 66.7 kPa
since x1 = 0, x2 = 9 m, z1 = 3 m, and z2 = 0.
Discussion Note that the variation of pressure along a horizontal line is due to acceleration in the
horizontal direction while the variation of pressure in the vertical direction is due to the effects of
gravity and acceleration in the vertical direction (which is zero in this case).