Topics we gonna cover…

 Fluids and their Properties - completed

 Pressure and Head - completed
 Static Forces on Surfaces - completed
 Buoyancy
 Motion of Fluid Particles and Streams
 The Momentum Equation and its Applications
 The Energy Equation and its Applications
 Two-dimensional Ideal Flow
 Dimensional Analysis and Similarity

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD)

79
Buoyancy Force
Archimedes (287 BC), born in Sicily.
Created hydrostatics.

His Principle
When a body is placed in a fluid it
experiences an upward force which is
equal the weight of the fluid displaced.
This force is called the Buoyancy Force.

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 80

 Buoyancy Force contd.
Considering any vertical plane VV
through the body.
Projected area of each of the two
sides on this plane will be equal
The horizontal forces F will be
equal and opposite.

Totally submerged object

There is, therefore, no resultant horizontal force on the body due

to the pressure of the surrounding fluid.
The only force exerted by the fluid on an immersed body is vertical
and is called the buoyancy or upthrust.

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 81

 Buoyancy Force contd.
It will be equal to the difference
between the resultant forces on
the upper and lower parts of the
surface of the body.
If ABCD is a horizontal plane,

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 82

 Buoyancy Force contd.

This force will act through the centroid of the volume of fluid
displaced - centre of buoyancy.
This is Archimedes’ principle.

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 83

 Equilibrium of floating bodies
If a body it totally submerged, it will be stable when its Centre of
Gravity is directly below its Centre of Buoyancy.
The Centre of Buoyancy of a body is located at the Centre of
Gravity of the fluid it displaces.

The situation is more complicated if the body is floating.

Surprisingly (and counter-intuitively) for most surface vessels the
center of gravity of the vessel is above its center of bouyancy yet it
does not roll over.
This is because the shape of the body of fluid displaced by the
vessel changes as the vessel heels over.
This in turn causes the body’s C of B to move towards the low side
thus providing a restoring moment.

84
Upaka Rathnayake (PhD)
 Equilibrium of floating bodies contd.
A body floats in vertical equilibrium in a liquid.
The forces present are the
upthrust R acting through the centre of buoyancy B
the weight of the body W = mg acting through its centre of gravity
R and W must be equal and act in the same straight line
R = weight of fluid displaced, ρgV, (V is the volume of fluid
displaced)

V  mg m
g 

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 85

 Stability of a submerged body
For a body totally immersed in a fluid, the weight W = mg acts through
the centre of gravity of the body, while the upthrust R acts through
the centroid of the body B, which is the centre of buoyancy.

small angular displacement θ from the equilibrium position will

generate a moment W × BG × θ.

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 86

 Stability of a submerged body contd.

The centre of gravity G is below the centre of The centre of gravity is above the
buoyancy B centre of buoyancy, an overturning
Righting moment and the body will tend to moment is produced and the body is
return to its equilibrium position unstable.

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 87

 Stability of floating bodies
A body floating in equilibrium.
The weight W = mg acts through the centre of
gravity G and the upthrust R acts through the
centre of buoyancy B of the displaced fluid in
the same straight line as W.
Upaka Rathnayake (PhD)
Body is displaced through
an angle θ
W continues to act through G; the volume of
liquid remains unchanged since R = W,
The shape of this volume changes and its
centre of gravity,which is the centre of
buoyancy, moves relative to the body from B
to B1.
Since R and W are no longer in the same
straight line, a turning moment proportional
to W × θ is produced
88
 Stability of floating bodies contd.
M is the point at which the line of action of the
upthrust R cuts the original vertical through the
centre of gravity of the body G

The point M is called the metacentre and the

distance GM is the metacentric height.
An overturning moment.

1. If M lies above G, a righting moment W × GM × θ is produced,

equilibrium is stable and GM is regarded as positive.
2. If M lies below G, an overturning moment W × GM × θ is
produced, equilibrium is unstable and GM is regarded as negative.
3. If M coincides with G, the body is in neutral equilibrium.

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 89

Determination of the metacentric height

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 90

Determination of the position of the metacentre
relative to the centre of buoyancy

Upaka Rathnayake (PhD) 91