ME313-Expt#5

Bouyancy and Stability of a Floating Body

Purposes:
(a) To verify Archimedes principle of buoyancy
(b) To determine the meta-center height and verify the stability criteria of a floating object.
Apparatus: Sketch a labeled schematic diagram of the Armfield Floating Tray assembly.
Theory: (Ref. Munson/Young/Okiishi A Brief Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, p.53-56.)
(a) From the basic hydrostatic equation (P = -z) for pressure variation in a liquid due to
gravity, derive Archimedes formula for buoyant force:
FB = Vd
where is the specific weight of the liquid and Vd is the displaced volume in the liquid.
(b) Describe the stability criteria of a floating object in terms of the meta-center height, and show
that for a floating rectangular tray, the meta-center height is
zM -zG = (m/M) (x/tan(zG)
where M is the total mass of the tray and is the tilting angle due to the horizontal displacement
(x) of a sliding mass (m) in the tray.
Procedure:
1. Weigh the sliding mass alone. Then re-attach it at the symmetrical location and use the
spring balance to measure the total weight of the entire tray assembly.
2. Adjust the vertical position of the block on the mast so that the center of gravity (G) of the
assembly is at the bottom of the mast by hanging the entire assembly from this point on the
mast so that it is level. This point is 5 mm above the x-axis of the sliding mass.
3. Place the tray assembly in water and adjust the position of the sliding mass so that the tilting
angle of the assembly is zero.
4. Measure the immersed depth (d) by taking readings at all four corners and taking the average.
5. Move the sliding mass to the right so that the tray is tilted by about 100, and read the exact
displacement x. Disturb the floating tray slightly to check its stability.
6. Move the block on the vertical mast to a new position so that the center of gravity (G) of the
assembly is shifted upward by about 5 mm. This is done by hanging the entire assembly
from this new point on the mast so that it is level, similar to step 2.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the block reaches the top of the vertical mast.
Data & Results:
1. For the initial upright floating condition, calculate the volume of water displaced by the tray
and the buoyant force. Compare with the total weight and conclude whether Archimedes
principle is verified.
2. For each zG-location, calculate the meta-center height. Plot the data, observe the trend and
conclude if stability decreases as the meta-center height is also decreased. Also extrapolate
the plot to estimate the zG-location for the floating tray to become unstable and capsize.

Data

Date ___________________

Specific weight of water: = 9800 N/m3

(a) Properties of the Floating Tray
Length
L = 35 cm

Width

b = 20 cm

Immersed Depth

d=

in.

Displacement Volume

Vd =

m3

Traversing Mass

m=

gm

Bouyant Force

FB =

Total Mass

M=

gm

Total Weight

W=

(b) Stability Test

zG (in.)

(deg)
x (mm)