STUDY ON THE EQUILIBRIUM ATTITUDE AND STABILITY OF BUOYANT CYLINDERS

A floating object is just supported at the buoyant center, which varies with the equilibrium attitude of the object. It is stability at the least distance between the gravity center and the buoyant center. A floating cylinder may have two to five equilibrium positions, of those one or two are stable. The stable posture is related to its specific gravity and the ratio of length to diameter, and catastrophe maybe induced as the system parameters change continually.