PHYSICS APPLICATION OF FLUID MECHANICS IN THE PONTOON BRIDGE

Yusuf Wicaksono (1206215850) Department of Physics Mathematics and Natural Science of University of Indonesia 16424, Kampus UI Depok Email: yusuf.wicaksono21@ui.ac.id

Abstract Water crossing in emergency time like war or disaster is very important. The fastest way to cross them and build equipment to cross the water immediately has become the first priority, its supposed to minimize the victims of disaster or war. Pontoon bridge is the best choice because the simplicity of construction, easy to build and flexible will make sure to help victims immediately. The floating bridge or pontoon bridge concept is based on Archimedes Laws. The effect of buoyancy force when weight force has a smaller amount than buoyancy force make a pontoon bridge floating. It can be happened if the density of pontoon bridge is much smaller than the density of fluid. The stability of pontoon bridges is also based on Archimedes Laws. The Internal force will make the segment of pontoon bridges back to the equilibrium state after buoyancy segment being inclined because external force. So, pontoon bridges phenomena can be explained with Archimedes Laws because the Archimedes Laws is the main concept of pontoon bridges.

1. Introduction
Civil logistics is one of the important elements in country development and daily life. The country with ease of transport, have equitable distribution, and well in distributing supplies will be the developed and prosperous country. But sometimes because of natural disaster civil logistics will be paralyzed. Floods are the natural disaster can be cut off the path of supply and the areas of the flood will be inaccessible. To help people who were trapped by the flood and cant get food supply or another supply to help them such as medicine, its need

to build bridges which can throughout the flood. The best choice one is the pontoon bridge. The simplicity and easy to build, have lightweight and also flexible it will make the victims of the flood can be saved immediately. So the victim of a flood can be evacuated to the save place and casualties can be minimized. Actually the pontoon bridge used in military purpose. In military application the pontoon bridge is a modular system consisting of the interior and ramp pontoons which are transported, launched, and retrieved by a heavy-duty vehicles. Pontoon bridge has been used for many wars around the world. The earliest known use of pontoon bridge for military purpose took place when the Persian King Xerxes invaded Greece in 480 B.C. After that the pontoon bridge has been developed and continues used in the war. The goal of this paper is to describe about how the pontoon bridge work, what physics theory is involved and the component of pontoon bridge.

2. Principal Theory of Archimedes in Pontoon Bridge

Pontoon bridge is usually used on the water without motion or water in the rest. But sometimes pontoon bridge can use in the water in motion with the small velocity or nearly zero. The condition when the water in the rest or without motion is called hydrostatic condition. The fundamental concept of hydrostatic has been explained in Archimedes Law. Archimedes Laws explain about the pressure distribution in a static fluid and its effect on solid surfaces. The effect of pressure distribution on solid surfaces is called buoyant force. The effect of buoyant force can make solid matter in two conditions, there is totally submerged object and floating object is shown in Figure. 1.

Fig. 1. A solid mater in floating condition (left) and in totally submerged condition (right)

In Archimedes Laws the buoyancy force FA acting on a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of fluid displaced by the body and is written to the formula [1]: , Where [1]

is the density of fluid or gas in which the body is immersed, g is the

gravitational acceleration, and V is the volume of the body which is immersed. To make the body float on the waters surface, its weight is required to be less than the buoyant force. The gravitation which works in buoyant force and weight have same amount so the formula about the relation between buoyancy force and weight of the object is written with the formula [2]: [2] To make the less than , the must be minimized, so the

will be have small amount and the object will be floating on the water surface. The Archimedes principal above is the principle of operation of pontoon bridge. So the pontoon bridge must have a small amount of mass. With the have small amount of mass, pontoon bridge can be loaded additional mass which has a large amount of passage the bridge. But the mass of the object which want to pass the bridge has a limit. The maximum mass of the object will be passed can be estimated using the following formula: [3]
Where

Is the mass of object which want to pass the bridge and

is the mass of

pontoon bridge. The formula [3] shown condition when maximum of object mass on the pontoon bridge makes the pontoon bridge totally immersed. Another important concept in pontoon bridge is the concept about users safety. The concept of users safety is the concept of stability of pontoon bridge contraction. The concept of stability of pontoon bridge construction is defined as its ability of pontoon bridge to return to equilibrium state after buoyant segment is inclined by external forces such as wind or waves or the other external force like uneven weight distribution. When buoyant segment was inclined (Figure. 2), the center of gravity should not change position because if the center of gravity

change, the pontoon bridge cant return to equilibrium state or flip over. To make the center of gravity not change, the maximum angle of inclination is 7 - 10. In otherwise the center of buoyancy will shift to the geometric center of new underwater volume. Figure. 2 shown how the righting moment made. Righting moment made because the buoyancy force and gravitational force are equal and occur along parallel lines. But in the opposite direction, a rotation is developed and a righting moment created. The righting moment is the moment of static stability. The moment of static stability tends to bring buoyancy force and gravitational force balance again.

Figure.2 Initial stability

To basic quantity determining initial stability of the pontoon bridge is the metacentric height of the segment determined by following a formula: [4] Where m is metacentric height, J is the moment of inertia of the axial inclination, V is the solid displacement volume, and a is the distance of the center of gravity of the body from the center of buoyancy in the position of floating. So with formula [4] the initial stability will be known. Figure. 3 shows the designations used in the formula [4].

Figure. 3. Diagram for calculation of analytical stabilities

3. The Component of Pontoon Bridge

A pontoon bridge actually is combined of segments which has the same geometry and queued in one or more line. The segment has two important components, there are cassette and air cushion. Cassette is the upper part of the surface for people or vehicles moving on it. Cassette is also protect the air cushion and conduits for its filling. From formula [2], the bridge will be fleeting if the weight of the bridge is less than buoyancy force, so the must be minimized. The material which one have a small amount of density and have high durability is wood, rubber, and light metal. Air cushion is the element that assures the displacement and filled with pressured air. Air cushion made of a flexible textile and reinforced with the usage of the composite layers. The air cushion must be protected well because the main element that bridges can be float is air cushion. Figure 4.a.b.c.d is about the cassette and air cushion.

Figure. 4a. Multiplication of the single buoyant segment. Figure. 4b. Kind of pontoon bridge Figure. 4c. Cassette of the pontoon bridge Figure. 4d. Segment of pontoon bridge

4. Conclusion
Phenomena of pontoon bridges can be determined and explained by Physics Theory. Pontoon bridge is an application of mechanic fluid. Uses hydrostatic condition pontoon bridges can be built. The phenomena of pontoon bridge can be explained by Archimedes Laws where has explained the effect of buoyancy force to the segment of pontoon bridges so the bridges can be floated. The effect of buoyancy can also make the decision to choose the best and suitable material for pontoon bridge component. And the last, Archimedes Laws can make sure the pontoon bridge is safety or not with the calculation of the maximum angle of inclination.

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