STABILITY OF FLOATING BODIES
FM-11
OPERATIONAL MANUAL
INFINIT TECHNOLOGIES
100 Elizabeth Dr, Apt. 1215 Pittsburgh, PA15220 USA Phone: +1-862-251-2839, Fax: +1-646-517-8419
Email: sales@[Link], Web: [Link]
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NOTE
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this
manual is accurate; however, no liability is accepted for errors. Should an
error be discovered please inform the company in writing, giving full details.
Any experimental results given are for guidance only and are not guaranteed
as exact answers that can be obtained for a given apparatus; due to the
complex variables applicable to most experiments.
The basic principles set out in the following make no claim to completeness.
For further theoretical explanations, refer to the specialist literature.
The selection of experiments makes no claims of completeness but is
intended to be used as a stimulus for your own experiments. The results
shown are intended as a guide only.
Depending on the construction of the individual components, experimental
skills and environmental conditions, deviations may occur in the experiments.
Nevertheless, the laws can be clearly demonstrated.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................04
General Description.........................................................................................05
Summary of Theory.........................................................................................06
Experiment.......................................................................................................09
Maintenance....................................................................................................13
INTRODUCTION
Metacentric Height is able to provide the solution for The question of the
stability of a body, such as a ship, which floats on the surface of a liquid, is
one of obvious importance. Whether the equilibrium is stable, neutral or
unstable is determined by the height of its gravity, and in this experiment the
stability of a pontoon may be determined with its center of gravity at various
heights. A comparison with calculated stability may also be made.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The arrangement of the apparatus is shown in Figure. A pontoon of
rectangular form floats in water and carries a plastic sail, with five rows of V-
slots at equi-spaced heights on the sail. The slots centers are spaced at
7.5mm intervals, equally disposed about the sail center line. An adjustable
weight, consisting of two machined cylinders which can be screwed together,
fits into the V-slots on the sail this can be used to change the height of the
center of gravity and the angle of tilt of the pontoon. A degree indicator is
fitted at the front of pontoon and is used in conjunction with the scale to
measure the angle of tilt.
Unit Assembly
5
3
1. Sail 2. Sliding Weight
3. Pontoon 4. Plum Bob hook
5. degree indicator 6. Water tank
SUMMARY OF THEORY
(a) (b) (c)
Fig. 2 Derivation of Stability of Floating Pontoon
Consider the rectangular pontoon shown floating in equilibrium on an even
keel, as shown in the cross section of Figure 2(a). The weight of the floating
body acts vertically downwards through its center of gravity G and this is
balanced by an equal and opposite buoyancy force acting upwards through
the center of buoyancy B, which lies at the center of gravity of the liquid
displace by the pontoon.
To investigate the stability of the system, consider a small angular
displacement δθ from the equilibrium position as shown on Figure 2(b). The
center of gravity of the liquid displaced by the pontoon shifts from B to B1.
The vertical line of action of the buoyant force is shown on the figure and
intersects the extension of line BG at M, the metacenter.
The equal and opposite forces through G and B1 exert a couple on the
pontoon, and provided that M lies above G (as shown in Figure 2(b)) this
couple acts in the sense of restoring the pontoon to even keel, i.e. the
pontoon is stable. If, however, the metacenter M lies below the center of
gravity G, the sense of the couple is to increase the angular displacement and
the pontoon is unstable. The special case of neutral stability occurs when M
and G coincide.
Figure 2(b) shows clearly how the metacentric height GM may be established
experimentally using the adjustable weight of mass (ω) to displace the center
of gravity sideways from G. Suppose the adjustable weight is moved a
distance δx from its central position. If the weight of the whole floating
assembly is W, then the Corresponding movement of the center of gravity of
the whole in a direction parallel to the base of the pontoon is
δx1. If this
W
movement produces a new equilibrium position at an angle of list δθ, then in
Figure 2(b), G1 is the new position of the center of gravity of the whole, i.e.
GG x
(1)
1 1
W
Now, from the geometry of the figure:
GG1 = GM (δθ) (2)
Eliminating GG1 between these equations we derive:
x1
GM (3)
W
or in the limit:
dx
GM W d1 (4)
dx1
The metacentric height may thus be determined by measuring knowing
d
ω and W. Quite apart from experimental determinations, BM may be
calculated from the mensuration of the pontoon and the volume of liquid which
it displace. Referring again to Figure 2(b), it may be noted that the restoring
moment about B, due to shift of the center of buoyancy to B1, is produced by
additional buoyancy represented by triangle AA1C to one side of the center
line, and reduced buoyancy represented by triangle FF1C to the other. The
element shaded in Figure 2(b) and (c) has and area δs in plan view and a
height xδθ in vertical section, so that it volume is xδsδθ. The weight of liquid
displaced by this element is wxδsδθ, where w is the specific weight of the
liquid, and this is the additional buoyancy due to the element. The moment of
this elementary buoyancy force about B is wx 2δsδθ, so that the total restoring
moment about B is given by the expression:
wδθ∫x2ds
Where the integral extends over the whole area s of the pontoon at the plane
of the water surface, the integral may be referred to as I, where:
I = ∫x2ds (5)
The second moment of area of s about the axis XX.
The total restoring moment about B may also be written as the total buoyancy
force, wV, in which V is the volume of liquid displaced by the pontoon,
multiplied by the lever arm BB1. Equating this product to the expression for
total restoring moment derived above:
wV ∙ BB1 = wδθ∫x2ds
Substituting from Equation 5 for the integral and using the expression:
BB1 = BM ∙ δθ (6)
Which follows from the geometry of Figure 2(b), leads to:
I
BM
V (7)
This result, which depends only on the mensuration of the pontoon and the
volume of liquid which it displaces will be used to check the accuracy of the
experiment. It applies to a floating body of any shape, provided that I is taken
about an axis through the centroid of the area of the body at the plane of the
water surface, the axis being perpendicular to the place in which angular
displacement takes place. For a rectangular pontoon, B lies at a depth below
the water surface equal to half the total depth of immersion, and I may readily
be evaluated in terms of the dimensions of the pontoon as:
I x ds
2 D /2
2 1
x Ldx
12
LD
3
(8)
D/
2
EXPERIMENT
Objective:
To determine the stability of a floating body.
Procedure:
The total mass (m) is the sum of all the mass values.
The weight of the pontoon = m x g
When g = acceleration due to gravity.
The height of the center of gravity may be found as follows (refer to Figure 3):
1. Fit the thick knotted cord, with the plumb weight, through the hole in the
sail, ensuring that the plumb weight is free to hang down on the side of the
sail which has the scored center line.
2. Clamp the sliding weight into the V-slot on the center line of the lowest row
and suspend the pontoon from the free end of the thick cord. Mark the
point where the plumb line crosses the sail center line with typists
correcting fluid or a similar marking fluid.
3. Repeat paragraph (2) for the other four rows.
With the sliding weight situated in the center of one of the rows, allow the
pontoon to float in water.
Fig. 3 Method of finding centre of gravity
Fig. 4 Standard dimensions of pontoon
Observations:
Total weight of floating assembly (W) = 1.72 kg
Adjustable weight (ω) = 0.41
kg
Breadth of pontoon (D) = 200 mm
Length of pontoon (L) = 360 mm
3
Second moment of LD
area I 12 = m4
12 10
W
Volume of water displaced V
10
3 = m3
I
Height of metacenter above center of BM = m
buoyancy V
V
Depth of immersion of pontoon = = m
LD
V
Depth of center of buoyancy CB = m
= 2LD
It is suggested that Figure 4 is marked up to be referred to each time the
apparatus is used. Note that when measuring the heights ȳ and y1, as it is
only convenient to measure from the inside floor of the pontoon, the thickness
of the sheet metal bottom should be added to ȳ and y1 measurements. The
position of G (and hence the value the value of ȳ) and a corresponding value
of y was marked earlier in the experiment when the assembly was balanced.
The height of ȳ and G above the base will vary with the height y of the
adjustable weight above the base, according to the equation:
ȳ=y A
(9)
1
W
Where A is a constant which pertains to the center of gravity of the pontoon
and the height of the adjustable weight.
Using one set of results for the center of gravity of the pontoon and the height
of the adjustable weight, then ȳ and y1 can be measured and the constant A
calculated. This can then be used in calculations for subsequent heights of ȳ
and y1 which can be checked against the markings made earlier.
Values of angles of list produced by lateral movement of the adjustable weight
y1 should be recorded in the form of Table 1. A graph (Figure 5) for each
height y1, of lateral position of adjustable weight against angles of list, can
then be plotted.
Note: Decide which side of the sail center line is to be termed negative and
then term list angles on that side negative.
Height of adjustable Angles of list for adjustable weight lateral displacement from
weight y1 mm (I) sail center line x1 mm
Angle -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25
Table 1 Values of list angles for height and position of adjustable weight
From Figure 5, for the five values of y and the corresponding values of dx1/dθ
can be extracted. Using Equation 4 values of GM can be obtained. Using
Equation 9 and knowing the immersion depth, values of CG can be derived.
Also, since CM = CG + GM, values of CM can be calculated. The above
values should be calculated and arranged in tabular form as show in Table 2.
Height of Height of G dx1 Height of M
(mm / ) Metacentric
adjustable above water above water
weight y1 surface CG d height GM
surface CM
mm (i) (iii) (mm) (iv)
(mm) (ii) (mm) (v)
Table 2 Derivation of metacentric height from experimental results
The values of dx1/dθ can now be plotted against CG, the height of G above
the water line. Extrapolation of this plot will indicate the limiting value of CG
above which the pontoon will be unstable.
MAINTENANCE
Installation Instructions:
Fit the sail into its housing on the pontoon and tighten the clamp screws.
Check that the plumb bob hangs vertically downwards on its cord and is free
to swing across the lower scale.
Routine Care Maintenance:
After use, the water in the tank should be poured away and the pontoon and
tank wiped dry with a lint-free cloth. The pontoon should never be left
permanently floating in the water.
