Book Description

Excerpt from Stability and Equilibrium of Floating Bodies The present treatise is an attempt to set forth briefly the principles underlying the stability and equilibrium of bodies floating partially or wholly submerged in water, and in air. Hitherto published matter bearing on stability has for the most part- been confined to ship forms. Submarines and aerial machines claim a more recent development, and problems relating to the stability and equilibrium of these bodies may be said to be still under investigation. It is necessary now to approach the subject in a more liberal manner, treating the bodies as subject to active as well as passive forces, and to call into requisition the principles of fluid pressure - whether liquid or gaseous - in their action upon bodies at rest and in motion. A knowledge of the salient features of rigid dynamics and hydromechanics is required in order to enable the reader to take a comprehensive view of the subject under discussion. In the introductory chapter the author has endeavoured to set out the essential points bearing upon this phase of the subject, and in Chapter I. discusses generally definitions, the nature and conditions of equilibrium, and the important formulae, in order to enable the reader to pursue without interruption the chapters dealing with specific types of body, which follow. Chapter II. treats of the stability of ships, and an endeavour has been made to render the matter comprehensive without touching upon the historical side of the subject; those readers desirous of pursuing to the end the history and development of stability as applied to ships are referred to Sir E. J. Reed's classic work. The consideration of floating docks is included in Chapter IV., and, so far as the author is aware, has not been dealt with hitherto in any published work. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."