BUOYANCY

CE 3250
Joe Eckhardt, Mike Firestone,
Christos Melistas, Meghan Vohs
 What is Buoyancy?
• In simple terms, buoyancy is the ability of
an object to float.
• Whether or not a given object will float is
determined by the buoyant force on the
object.
• This force is caused by the difference
between the pressure at the top of the
object, which pushes it downward and the
pressure at the bottom of the object which
pushes it upward. Because the pressure at
the bottom of the object is always greater
than the pressure at the top, every The weight of the water that is displaced by this
submerged object feels an upward block of wood is equal to the buoyant force
buoyant force. acting on the block. (excerpt from
• The magnitude of this buoyant force is http://www.pbs.org)
equal to the weight of the fluid that is
displaced by the submerged object.
 What is Buoyancy? (cont.)
• The difference between the
buoyant force acting up on
the object and the force due
to gravity acting downward
on the object will determine
whether or not the object will
float or sink.
• If the buoyant force is greater
than the gravitational force, Buoyancy kept the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald afloat in
the object will float, but if the the Great Lakes until water filled its hull causing the
opposite is true, the object ships weight to exceed the buoyant force acting
upward on it. The rest is history.
will sink.
 How to Calculate Buoyancy
• The buoyant force (FB) is
equal to the weight of fluid
the object displaces.
– If an object is submerged it
displaces its total volume of
fluid.
– If it is partially submerged it
displaces the volume of fluid
equal to its submerged
volume.
– The weight of the fluid it
displaces is the volume of
fluid multiplied by the fluid’s
specific weight.
 How to Calculate Buoyancy
Totally Submerged Object in Water

• Object’s Volume = 1ft3

• Specific Weight of Water (γWater) = 62.4lb/ft3
• FB = 1ft3 x 62.4lb/ft3 = 62.4lb
 How to Calculate Buoyancy
Object 50% Submerged in Water

• Object’s Volume = 1ft3

– Submerged volume = 0.5ft3
• Specific Weight of Water (γWater) = 62.4lb/ft3
• FB = 0.5ft3 x 62.4lb/ft3 = 31.2lb
 Understanding Buoyancy
Q: An inverted spherical shell of diameter, d = 1m is used to
cover a tank filled with water. What is the minimum
weight the shell must be to hold itself in place?
Understanding Buoyancy (cont.)
A: Since only half the sphere is covering the tank, we only
need to account for half the volume. So, V = 4/3 r3.
Since only half the volume is to be accounted for, the
volume that is to be used is V = 4/6 r3. So, the volume of
the sphere will be 4/6 *(.5m)3 = .262m3. Then, the forces
in the y-direction must be summed and set equal to zero.
Our equation will be FB – W = 0. FB = Specific weight of
water (W) * volume of sphere. So, our equation to solve
for W will be (9,806 N/m3)*(.262m3) – W = 0. Solving for
W, the minimum weight the shell must be to hold itself in
place is 2,569.17N.
Who Needs Buoyancy?

• Everyone needs
buoyancy!

• If you swim, boat,

scuba dive, or float;
you need buoyancy!!!
 Buoyancy and Swimming
• Buoyancy is why most people
float. Your body displaces
water. When the weight of the
water you displace is more than
your weight you float.
• Because of buoyancy you
weigh very little in water.
• You can put most of your
energy into movement because
you need very little to carry
yourself