FLUID MECHANICS

TOPIC 4B
STATICAL STABILITY OF SUBMERGED BODIES

I. Objectives:
At the end of the topic, the students must be able to:
1. Define important terms related to statical stability of submerged bodies.
2. Analyze the case of bodies floating in a liquid.
3. Define the conditions that must be met for a body to be stable when completely
submerged in a fluid and when floating in a fluid.
4. Compute the location of metacenter.

II. Discussion:

Stability of completely submerged bodies

Stability refers to the ability of a body to return to its original position after being tilted
about a horizontal axis. A body in a fluid is considered stable if it will return to its
original after being rotated a small amount about a horizontal axis. The condition of
stability of bodies completely submerged in a fluid is that the center of gravity of the
body must be below the center of buoyancy. The center of buoyancy of a body is at the
centroid of the displaced volume of fluid, and it is through this point that the buoyant
force acts in a vertical direction. The weight of the body acts vertically downward
through the center of gravity.

Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the approximate cross sectional shape of an undersea research vehicle,
which has a stable equilibrium due to its shape and location of equipment within the
hull. The circular section is a hollow cylinder providing a manned cabin and housing for
delicate instruments and life-support systems. The rectangular section at the bottom
contains heavy batteries and other durable equipment. With this distribution of weight
and volume, the center of gravity (cg) and the center of buoyancy (cb) are located
approximately as shown in figure 1-a. Figure 1-b shows the action of the buoyant force
and the weight to produce a couple that tends to rotate the vessel back to its original
position after being rotated. Therefore, this orientation is stable. Contrast with this with
figure 1-c, which shows what would happen if the configuration were upside down from
that in figure 1-a. When this body is rotated a small amount, the weight and the buoyant
force produce a couple that tends to overturn it. Therefore, this orientation is unstable.

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 If the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of a body coincide, as with a solid
object, the weight and buoyant force acts through the same point, producing no couple.
In this case the body would have neutral stability and would remain in any orientation in
which it is placed.

Stability of Floating Bodies:

The condition for stability of floating bodies is different from that for completely
submerged bodies. Figure 2 shows the approximate cross section of a ship’s hull. In part
(a) of the figure, the floating body is at its equilibrium orientation and the center of
gravity (cg) is above the center of buoyancy(cb). A vertical line though these points will
be called the vertical axis of the body. Figure 2-b shows that if the body is rotated
slightly, the center of buoyancy shifts to a new position because the geometry of the
displaced volume has changed. The buoyant force and the weight now produce a
righting couple that tends to return the body in its original position. Thus, the body is
stable.

The metacenter is defined as the intersection of the vertical axis of a body when its
equilibrium position and a vertical line through the new position of the center of
buoyancy when the body is rotated slightly. A floating body is stable if its center of
gravity is below the metacenter.
metacenter

intersection
between of vertical
axis and the center
of bouyancy (cb)

Figure 2
It is possible to determine analytically if a floating body is stable by calculating the
location of its metacenter. The distance to the metacenter from the center of buoyancy is
called MB and is calculated from MB = I/Vd. In this equation, Vd is the displaced
volume of the fluid and I is the least moment of inertia of a horizontal section of a body
taken at the surface of the fluid. If the distance MB places the metacenter above the
center of gravity, the body is stable.

Degree of Stability

Although the limiting case of stability has been stated as any design for which the
metacenter is above the center of gravity, some objects can be more stable than others.
One measure of relative stability is called the metacentric height defined as the distance
to the metacenter from the center of gravity. Refer to figure 3, the metacentric height is
labeled MG, from which we can compute using: MG = ymc = ycg . Small seagoing vessels
should have a minimum value of MG of 0.46 m. Large ships should have MG > 1.07.
But the metacentric height should not be too large because the ship may then have the
uncomfortable rocking motion that cause seasickness.

III. Sample Problem:

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Figure 3 shows a flatboat hull that, when fully loaded weighs 150 kN. Parts (b), (c) and
(d) shows the top, front, and side views of the boat. Note the location of the center of
gravity (cg). Determine if the boat is stable in fresh water.

Figure 3
Solution:
First, find out if the boat will float. This is done by finding how far the boat will sink into
the water, using the priciples of buoyancy.
W = BF
kN 
150  kN =  L  Vd = 9.81 ( 2.4 m)  ( 6 m)  x
3
m
150 kN
x = = 1.06 m
kN 
9.81 ( 2.4 m)  ( 6 m)
3
m

Figure 4
The depth of submergence or draft of the boat is 1.06 m, as shown in figure 4. The boat
floats with 1.06 m submerged. The center of buoyancy is at the center of the displaced
volume of water. In this case, it is on the vertical axis of the boat at a distance of 0.532 m
from the bottom. That is half of the draft, x. Since the center of gravity is above the
center of gravity, the metacenter must be located in order to determine if the boat is
stable,
I
x = ( 6.0 m)  ( 2.4 m)  ( 1.06 m) = 15.26 m
3
MB = where Vd = L B
Vd

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 The moment of inertia, I is determined about the x-axis in figure 3-b, since this would
yield the smallest value for I:
L B ( 6.0 m)  ( 2.4 m)
3 3
4
I = = = 6.91 m
12 12
Then, the distance from the center of buoyancy to the metacenter is:
4
I 6.91 m
MB = = = 0.45 m
Vd 15.26 m
3

ymc = ycb MB = 0.53 m 0.45 m = 0.98 m

Result: the boat is stable, since the metacenter is above the center of gravity.

IV. Exercises:

1. A rectangular scow having a length equal to 12 m, width of 10 m and height of 6 m

floats in seawater. If it is tilted until the top edge is just at the point of submergence.
Determine the metacentric height and the location of the buoyant force. Draft is
3.5m.

2. A rectangular scow 1 m long, 7.2 m wide and 2.4 m high has its center of gravity 1.5
m above the bottom. It carries a total load of 140 tons including its weight in an
upright position. It the scow is tilted at an angle of 11 o, determine the value of the
weight that must be moved at a distance of 2.4 m from the center line of the scow.

3. A loaded scow has a draft of 1.8 m in fresh water when erect. The scow is 6 m wide
and 12 m long and 2.4 m high. The center of gravity of scow is 1.8 m above the
bottom along the vertical axis of symmetry. What is the maximum single weight that
can be moved transversely from the center of the scow and unloaded over the side
without sinking the scow?

4. A scow having a length of 15 m, 8 m wide and 6 m deep has a displacement of 164

metric tons. If the scow tilts at an angle of 14 o without overturning, determine the
location of the center of gravity which lies on the vertical axis/

5. A timber is 30 cm square in cross section and has a specific gravity of 0.5. A man
having a mass of 70 kg standing at a point 60 cm from one end causes that end to be
just submerged. How long is the timber?

6. A ship with total displacement of 1800 tons rolls to one side through an angle of 1 o
when a deck load of 5 tons is moved laterally through a distance of 4.5 m. Compute
the metacentric height for this particular position of the vessel.

7. A block of wood with a mass density of 650 kg/m 3 is in the shape of rectangular
parallelepiped having a 10 cm square base. If the block floats in fresh water with the
square base horizontal, what is the maximum height for stable equilibrium in the
upright position?

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8. A cylindrical block of wood is 1.00 m in diameter and 1.00 m long and has a specific
gravity weight is 8.00 kN/m3. Will it float in a stable manner in water with its axis
vertical?

9. A container for an emergency beacon is a rectangular shape 0.76 m wide, 1.02 m

long, and 0.56 m high. Its center of gravity is 0.27 m above its base. The container
has a mass of 113.64 kg. Will the box be stable with the 0.76 m x 1.02 m side
parallel to the surface in plain water?

10. A boat has the cross section shown. Its geometry at the water line is shown in the top
view. The hull is solid.

Figure 5

STATICAL STABILITY OF SUBMERGED BODIES

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Answer the following problems. Show complete solution and necessary figures. Observe neatness
in your solution.

1. Referring to figure 6 shown, the vessel is to be used for a special experiment in

which it will float in a fluid having a specific gravity of 1.16. It is required that the
top surface of the vessel is 0.25 m above the fluid surface. What should the total
weight of the vessel and its contents?

Figure 6
2. If the contents of the vessel in problem 1, have a weight of 5.0 kN, determine the
required specific weight of the material from which the vessel is made.

3. The center of gravity of the vessel in figure 5 and its contents is 0.40 m down from
the rim of the open top of the cylinder. Is the vessel stable?

4. A barge is 18.3 m long, 6.1 m wide, and 2.44 m. When empty, it weighs 936.4 kN,
and its center of gravity is 0.46 m above the bottom. Is it stable when floating in
water?

5. If the barge in the previous problem is loaded with 1070 kN of loose coal having an
average density of 7.09 kN/m3, how much of the barge would be below the water? Is
it stable?

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