Shanghai Maritime University

Chapter 1 What is stability?

 Stability is the ability of a vessel to return to its
original condition or position after it has been
disturbed by an outside force.

Think:

The differences between list and heel

Types of initial stability

Positive stability
Neutral stability
Negative stability
Six motions of a vessel

Directional
z
stability
Stability in motion Lateral motion stability
ahead or astern

x
y
Longitudinal Transverse
stability stability

Positional motion stability

Archimedes’ principle (law of
floating bodies)
 Floating body displaces a weight of water equal to its
own weight; that is, weight equals buoyancy.
Centers of gravity and buoyancy

Water line Weight

G

B
△ displacement

K
The couple (righting moment)
Exterior force

M .
WL1

.. ..
G Z

B B1
K
Metacentre M
Metacentre
height
G Moment of inertia
= I
Volume of V
displacement
Vertical centre
B
Of gravity (VCG)
Vertical centre of
buoyancy (VCB)
Keel K
Ship stability
 The Concept
GM BM

KB and BM depend on
Geometrical form of ship

KG KB

KG depends on loading of ship.

KM=KG+GM KM=KB+BM
Righting arm=GZ Righting
tendency

WL1

B1 G . ..
Righting moment= GZ x ∆
B . Z
B’

Foot-tons or meter-metric tons K

∆=displacement of vessel
 Initial stability
 The resistance of a boat to a
small amount of lateral M
tilting from its equilibrium
position.
 It is determined by the WL1 θ
difference in the volume of
water displaced on each side
of the boat as it tilts and is G .. .
relatively independent of
hull shape for small angles of
tilt.
B . Z

B’

K
Stable equilibrium

WL1
M is above G
G . .. Z
B . B’

K
 Neutral equilibrium
G coincides with M G . M
WL1

. .
B
B’

K
Unstable equiblibrium

Z .. G
G is above M WL1 M .
B
.. B’

K
Metacentric height (GM)
KM is the height of Metacenter.

GZ=GM sinθ M

GM = KM - KG

θ
KM is available in
G
hydrostatic data. Z
KG is calculated by officer
Center line . B1

GM shows the initial stability of ship

 Thinking
Why GM is not available as
measure of stability for
All angles of inclination? M
WL1

.. .
G
B
Z

B’

K
 Metacentric radius(BM)
BM is the radius of the circle
KB depends upon the shape of the
immersed portion of the hull.

WL1

B
G.
. . Z

When KM is not available, KB B4 B3 B2 B1

and BM can be found to use. K
Summary

 Stability is the tendency of a vessel to return to an

erect position
 It can be determined for all angles of inclination by
the value of the righting moment ∆GZ or righting
arm GZ
 For small angle of inclination or initial stability,
stability could be decided by metacentric height
GM.
 While KM is not available, it maybe necessary to
find KB and BM.
Chapter 2 Calculation of the Ship’s
vertical center of gravity, KG
 This chapter we will learn
 how to caculate the vertical center of the ship when
ship is loaded
 the main method of calculating KG
Where is the center of Gravity of
the Ship?
 Position of G is in three dimensional space
Vertical center of Gravity KG
Transverse center of Gravity TCG
WL

A P TCG

G
+ G
-
KG

Longitudinal center of
Transverse
gravity, LCG stability
Light ship KG and weight
 Light ship weight and KG are calculated by naval
architects
 After loading , every weight (w) will affecting the original
light ship KG and Weight.

 The theory of moment must be employed by officers

Thinking
How to get the original data of KG of the ship?
Definition of moment
 A moment is mathematical term that indicates
something, (such as a weight, force, area, or volume),
multiplied by its distance from a particular point or
axis.
 A moment of a force (weight) can be expressed in force-
distance units, like tons-meters
A F B

A F B
8m

5t

A 8m F 8m B

5t 5t
A 5m F 8m B

8t 5t

A 3m 2m F 8m B

6t 11t 5t
 d3
A F d2 C
d1

w1 w2 W3

A D F C

w1 w2 W3

W
W replacing w1,w2,w3, the position at which it
is placed will be the center of gravity of the
weights w1,w2,w3.

W x D= (w1 x d1) + (w2 x d2) + (w3 x d3)

D= (w1 x d1) + (w2 x d2) + (w3 x d3)

W
Taking moments about the keel
W is the weight of the ship
W1,w2 are weights loaded/discharged

Loading weights
W’= W + w1 + w2
KG’=Sum of the moments above K
Sum of the weights
K g1 G G’ g2 =W x KG+(w1 x Kg1)+(w2 x Kg2)
W’
w1 w2 Discharging weights
W
W’= W-w1-w2
W’
KG’=’=Sum of the moments about K
Sum of the weights
=W x KG-(w1 x Kg1)-(w2 x Kg2)
W’
Example1
 A vessel floating at her light draft displaces (weights) 5000
tons. The light ship KG is 20 feet above the keel. Two
hundred tons are loaded 10 feet above the keel and 300
tons 5 feet above the light ship KG.
What will be the position of the new KG?
Weights in tons KG in feet Moments in foot-tons
5000 20 100,000
200 10 2,000
300 25 7,500
5500 total weight 109500 total moment

Dividing total moments by total weights KG=19.9 feet

Example2
 The vessel in example 1 now has the following weights removed
from the location listed below. Find the new KG after
discharging.
Weights in tons KG in feet Moments in foot-tons
700 5 3500
300 2 600
150 15 2250
1150 total weight 6350 total moment

Original 5500 tons 109500 foot tons

discharge -1150 tons -6350
Final 4350 tons 103150 total moment

New KG= 103150 foot tons/4350 tons =23.7 feet

Example 3
 A vessel is floating in ballast with a displacement of 32000 metric tons
and a KG of 9.25 meters. 22,000 metric tons of ballast will be
discharged with a KG of 8.5 meters. 600 tons of bunkers will be taken
with a KG of 1.5 meters. 55,000 tons of grain will be loaded at a height
of 9.7 meters. What will be the position of the new KG?
Weights in KG in meters Moments in
metric tons Meter-metric tons
item
Initial condition 32,000 9.25 296,000
-ballast -22000 8.5 -187,000
+bunkers 600 1.5 900
+ Grain 55,000 9.7 533,500
65,600 643,400
total weights total moments

Dividing total moments by total weights, KG= 9.81 meters

Exercise 1
 A vessel of 13000 tons, KM10.5m (assumed constant), KG 9.5
m. loads: 400 tons KG 2.9; 900 tons KG 6.0 m; 1500 tons KG
10.6m; 2000 tones KG 8.3 m. she discharges: 700 tons KG 1.5
m; 300 tones KG 12.7m. Calculate the moment of statical
stability if she is now heeled 8⁰.
Weights KG Moments New KG=157700/16800=9.387
in tons in meters in Meter- tons
13,000 9.5 123,500 KM= 10.500 m
400 2.9 1,160 GM= KM – KG=1.113 m
900 6.0 5,400
Moment of statical stability= W x GM x sinθ
1,500 10.6 15,900 = 16800 x 1.113 x sin 8 ⁰
2,000 8.3 16,600 = 2602 meter-tons
-700 1.5 -1,050

-300 12.7 -3,810

16,800 157,700
total weights total moments
Exercise 2
 A vessel displacing 5800 tons KM 7.0m KG 6.0m has to
load a quantity of deck cargo KG 11.0 m. what is the
maximum quantity that she can load so that her GM is not
less than 0.75m.
Weights in tons KG in feet Moments in meter-tons

5800 6.0 34800

w 11.0 11w
(5800+ w tons) (34,800 + 11w)
total weight total moment
KM=7.00m new GM=0.75 New KG=34800+11w = 6.25 Then, w=305 tons
Then, new KG=6.25 5800+ w

GM now= KM-KG=7.0-6.0 m= 1.0 m GM required=0.75 m GG’=0.25m upward

GG’=(w x d)/(W+w) 0.25=(w x 5)/(5800 + w)
W= 305 tons
Taking moments about center
of gravity
Calculating GG’
 GG’ is shift of center of gravity
d

A G G’ B

w
W W+w GG’=w x d
Weight distance Moment W+w
W is the vessel’s displacement before
W 0 0
loading the weight
w d wxd w is the weight loaded
W+w wxd d is the distance of the loaded weight
from the old center of gravity
Example4
 Suppose that on a 10,000-ton vessel with a KG of 25 feet,
200 tons are shifted vertically upwards a distance of 20
feet. Find the new KG for the vessel and the shift of G in
terms of GG’.

GG’=w x d
W+w

GG’= (200 tons X 20 feet )/(10,000 tons) = 0.4 feet up

New KG= 25 feet + 0.4 feet = 25.4 feet

Example 5
 The displacement of ship is 10,000 tons, he head of
the jumbo boom is 80 feet above keel. If you lift a
container of 30 tons, which is in the lower hold, 1 feet
clear of the deck.
 If GG’ increase when you lift the container more?
 What is the GG’?
GG’= w x d = 30 tons x 80 feet =0.24 foot up
∆ 10,000
Principle of suspended weights
 When a weight is suspended by a ship’s derrick, its
center of gravity is to be considered as being at the
derrick head, and it will remain at the derrick head as
long as the weight is suspended.
Exercise 1
 A vessel of 9920 tons displacement, KM 7.8 m is to load two 40 tonne
lifts on deck KG 13.5m and 5.5 m each side of the center line, by means
of her heavy lift derrick whose head is 21.0m above the keel and
maximum swing out 15 m from the center line. What should be the
vessel’s maximum KG before loading, if the list during loading is not
to exceed 5⁰?(the inboard weight is to be loaded first)

15m
Derrick head
G G’

9920 40 40
10000
13.5 m
21m

5.5m

G G’
GMtan5⁰=0.082, so GM=0.9373
KG=KM-GM=7.800-0.9373=6.8627 m
Basic rule about movement of G:
 When a weight is loaded on a vessel, G will directly
toward the position of the loaded weight
 When a weight is discharge from a vessel, G will
move directly away from the position of the
discharged weight
 When a weight is shifted on a vessel, G will
move parallel to the shifted weight.
 When a weight is suspended on a vessel, G
will move toward the point of suspension.
Effect on stability when weight is
loaded off the centre line

Buoyancy Buoyancy

G w
G G’
gravity

gravity
 M
M Θ=Angle of List

θ
GG’= GMtanθ
G
G’
B
B’

W
Example 6
 A vessel of 6500 tons displacement has a KM 7.2 and
KG 6.8m. A weight of 100 tons is shifted 2.3m to port
and 3.9 m upwards if the vessel is initially upright,
calculate the resulting list.

For vertical shift For horizontal shift

GG’= (100 x 3.9)/6500 = 0.06 m rise GG’= (100 x 2.3)/6500 = 0.0354 m to port
KG=6.8m
Then, KG’=6.86m Tan θ =GG’/GM
KM= 7.20 m =0.0354/0.34 = 0.1041
Then, G’M=+0.34 Θ= 5.95⁰ to port
Steps to find KG
 Find KG for every cargo, fuel, water, and stores
compartment or tank on the vessel
 Multiply these distances by the weights in the
respective locations
 Add total weights including weight of light ship
 Add total moments including the moment of light
ship
 Divide total moments by total weights produce final
KG