CIVL2611 Introductory Fluid Mechanics

CIVL9611 Introductory Fluid Mechanics

Tutorial 4. Buoyancy and Stability

(The problems marked with

will be explained at tutorials.)

1.

An object weighs 400 N in air and 300 N when fully submerged in water at 20oC. Find
its specific gravity and its specific weight.

2.

A barge has an elevation section as shown below. The sides are vertical. It weighs 20 kN
when empty. It is proposed that it will carry a load of 250 kN. Calculate the draft of the
barge, i.e. the depth of the barge submerged in sea water (SG = 1.03), when
(a) The barge is empty;
(b) The barge is fully loaded;
(c) If the maximum draft allowed is 1.5 m, what is the maximum load?
8m
2m
6m

3.

3m

An average table tennis ball has a diameter of 3.81 cm and a mass of 2.6 g. We know that
the ball will float on the surface of water. There will be a buoyancy force on both the
submerged and exposed parts of the ball. Assume the density of water is w = 998 kg/m3,
and the density of air is a = 1 kg/m3.
(a) If the buoyancy of the exposed part is neglected, what fraction of the ball is
submerged?
(b) What is the fraction submerged if the buoyancy of the exposed part is included in
the calculation?
(c) The floating ball will spin easily on the surface without changing depth. In a few
sentences, using the concepts of stability, explain why this is so.

4.

A crane is used to lower weights into the sea (sea water density = 1,025 kg/m3) for an
underwater construction project. Determine the tension in the cable of the crane due to a
rectangular 0.4 m 0.4 m 3 m concrete block (density = 2,300 kg/m3) when it is fully
submerged. Ignore the weight or any buoyancy effects of the cable.

5.

A wooden cylinder (SG = 0.6) is 1 mm in diameter and 0.8-m long. The cylinder floats in
oil (SG = 0.85) and is constrained so that its axis is vertical.
(a) What length of the cylinder is submerged?
(b) Is it stable (i.e. if the constraint is removed it remains vertical), and why? If it is
not stable, what will its stable configuration be?