Analysis of the Hydrostatic Parameters of a Floating Body with Cylindrical Stabilising Elements

In addition to barges, floating conveyor belt routes are used to ensure the continuous transport of granular materials extracted by floating dredgers from the water environment. This paper deals with the graphical and analytical determination of the coordinates of the centre of gravity of the buoyant force and the stability arm during the deflection of a floating body, consisting of two floats with a circular cross-section, from the equilibrium position. The coordinates of the centre of buoyancy were determined by a graphical–numerical method in the 3D CAD environment on the three-dimensional model created of the floating body. The coordinates of the centre of buoyancy were determined by analysing the geometric and physical properties of the model using the “Physical Properties” tool. The analytical procedure for determining the coordinates of the centre of buoyancy when a floating body is deflected from its equilibrium position is divided into three characteristic phases, which are mathematically described by means of certain integrals with differently defined integration limits corresponding to the given state of immersion of the body. Under laboratory conditions, the magnitude of the buoyant force was detected on the experimental apparatus using two force transducers. The experiment was carried out for three levels of float immersion, where the floating body was gradually tilted from the equilibrium position in a range of angles from 0° to 50°.