The document discusses buoyancy and provides procedures for solving buoyancy problems. It defines buoyant force as equal to the weight of fluid displaced. It gives examples of calculating buoyant force, volume, and specific weight for objects submerged or floating in fluids of varying densities. Procedures include drawing free body diagrams and using equations of static equilibrium.
The document discusses buoyancy and provides procedures for solving buoyancy problems. It defines buoyant force as equal to the weight of fluid displaced. It gives examples of calculating buoyant force, volume, and specific weight for objects submerged or floating in fluids of varying densities. Procedures include drawing free body diagrams and using equations of static equilibrium.
The document discusses buoyancy and provides procedures for solving buoyancy problems. It defines buoyant force as equal to the weight of fluid displaced. It gives examples of calculating buoyant force, volume, and specific weight for objects submerged or floating in fluids of varying densities. Procedures include drawing free body diagrams and using equations of static equilibrium.
The document discusses buoyancy and provides procedures for solving buoyancy problems. It defines buoyant force as equal to the weight of fluid displaced. It gives examples of calculating buoyant force, volume, and specific weight for objects submerged or floating in fluids of varying densities. Procedures include drawing free body diagrams and using equations of static equilibrium.
MFGE 4315/5315 Energy and Thermofluids Engineering
Lecture 5
Buoyancy
Namwon Kim, Ph.D.
Ingram School of Engineering
Buoyancy
○ A body in a fluid, whether floating or submerged, is buoyed
up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.
○ The buoyant force acts vertically upward through the
centroid of the displaced volume. Buoyant Force
○ The buoyant force can be defined as follows:
𝐹 𝛾 𝑉 •Fb = Buoyant force •γf = Specific weight of the fluid •Vd = Displaced volume of the fluid
○ When a body is floating freely, it displaces a sufficient
volume of fluid to just balance its own weight.
Procedure for Solving Buoyancy Problems
1. Determine the objective of the problem solution. Do you
want to determine a force, a weight, a volume, or a specific weight?
2. Draw a free-body diagram of the object in the fluid. Show
all forces that act on the free body in the vertical direction, including the weight of the body, the buoyant force, and all external forces. If the direction of some force is not known, assume the most probable direction and show it on the free body.
3. Write the equation of static equilibrium in the vertical
direction, ΣFy = 0 assuming the positive direction to be upward. Procedure for Solving Buoyancy Problems
4. Solve for the desired force, weight, volume, or specific weight,
remembering the following concepts:
1. The buoyant force is calculated from Fb = γfVd.
2. The weight of a solid object is the product of its total volume and its specific weight; that is, w = γV. 3. An object with an average specific weight less than that of the fluid will tend to float because w < Fb with the object submerged. 4. An object with an average specific weight greater than that of the fluid will tend to sink because w > Fb with the object submerged. 5. Neutral buoyancy occurs when a body stays in a given position wherever it is submerged in a fluid. An object whose average specific weight is equal to that of the fluid is neutrally buoyant.
Ex. Prob. 1
○ A cube 0.50 m on a side is made of bronze having a specific
weight of 86.9 kN/m3. Determine the magnitude and direction of the force required to hold the cube in equilibrium when completely submerged (a) in water and (b) in mercury. The specific gravity of mercury is 13.54. Ex. Prob. 2
○ A certain solid metal object weighs 60 lb when measured in
the normal manner in air, but it has such an irregular shape that it is difficult to calculate its volume by geometry. Use the principle of buoyancy to calculate its volume and specific weight.
Ex. Prob. 3
○ A cube 80 mm on a side is made of a rigid foam material
and floats in water with 60 mm of the cube below the surface. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the force required to hold it completely submerged in glycerin, which has a specific gravity of 1.26.
