INITIAL

TRANSVERSE
METACENTRE
Prepared by:
Cugal, Michael
Daro, Carl Joseph

 The initial transverse metacenter is the point

of intersection of the lines of action of
buoyancy force (Bf) when the ship is in the
initial upright condition and subsequently
heeled conditions, within small angles of
heel.

 It can be seen that a wedge

of buoyancy has been
transferred from the high
side to the heeled side
(bb1). The resultant
movement of B to B1at this
instant is one that is parallel
to and in the same direction
as the shift of the centroid
of the transferred volume of
buoyancy.

 BB1, could be calculated using formula:

Where:
v is the volume of transferred wedge
is the distance through which its centroid has moved, and;
V is the volume of displacement of the ship

METACENTRIC RADIUS
If B is plotted for several
small angles of heel, it may
be assumed that it follows
the arc of a circle centered
at M.
BM is termed metacentric
radius.

CALCULATING KM FOR BOX-SHAPED VESSELS

It
is convenient to consider the KM for a box-shaped vessel because the
math is simple, however, the same principles will apply for shapes.

KM = KB + BM
For a box-shaped vessel on an even keel: KB =
BM is calculated by: BM =

KM is calculated by the formula:

Where:
I is the moment of inertia (second moment of area) of water-plane area (WPA) about a longitudinal axis of
rotation passing through the center of the water-plane area
V is the volume of displacement of the vessel

 Consider the water-plane area of a box-shaped vessel shown:

C is the geometric center of the water-plane area and XX is the

longitudinal axis about which it is to be rotated.
For a box-shaped vessel: I =
Where L and B are the length and breadth of the water-plane area respectively. I is in units of meters ().

Therefore: ;

 A
simplistic, but convenient, way of considering the effect of the moment
of inertia of the water-plane area is to consider that it gives a ship
resistance to heeling.
Therefore, the larger the water-plane area, the less easily a ship will heel.
If the formula for BM is considered: it is the breadth of the water-plane
area that is the most influential. It is generally accepted that the broader
a ship is, the more stable it will be.
To summarize:

KM = KB + BM

and for a box-shaped vessel:

METACENTRIC DIAGRAM
A metacentric diagram is a
graph showing how the value of
KM changes with draught.
Example

(a) Prove that the KM of a box-shaped

vessel changes with draught as
shown for the range of draughts
1.00m to 15.00m given that the
length = 100m and breadth = 20m.
Tip: Use the formula to find the values of KB and BM and then
sum these to find corresponding KM values.

 Solution:

KM = KB + BM where:
KB =

and BM =

From the values calculated it

is seen that as draught
increases, KM reduces to a
minimum value and then
starts to increase again.

 Example 1

Box-shaped vessel having L = 100m, B = 20, If the KG

were 9.00m determine the following:
a. The range of draughts
b. At which the vessel will be unstable
c. The righting moment when the vessel is heeled to an
angle of if the upright draught is 3.00m in salt water
(RD 1.025)

Plot the values of KM with the X

axis labelled draught and the Y
axis labelled KM and KG. Plot an
assumed value of KG = 9.00 on the
graph (This will be a straight line).

a. For the vessel to be unstable the KG must be greater than the KM at the draught
concerned. This occurs between the draughts 5.2m and 12.8m

b. At a draught of 3.00m KM was calculated to be 12.61m

KM = 12.61
KG = 9.00
GM = 3.61
c. = L x B x d x density
=100m x 20m x 3.00m x 1.025 T/
Displacement = 6150 tons
GZ = GM x Sin
GZ = 3.61 x Sin
GZ = 0.31463 m
Therefore: Righting moment = GZ x Displacement
Righting moment = 0.31463 x 6150
Righting moment = 1935 T-m

TO DETERMINE THE FINAL KG REQUIRED TO COMPLETE LOADING WITH A

REQUIRED GM

Example 2
It is intended to load the vessel to a
maximum permissible draught in salt water
of 4.5m
(a)What is the maximum displacement of
the vessel
(b)The required GM on completion is
1.20m. What is the maximum
permissible KG?
(c) The vessel is currently loaded to =
8465T and has a KG of 8.40m. What is
the maximum KG at which to load the
final 760T of cargo to ensure that the
final GM requirement of 1.20 is achieved

Solution (a):
= (L x B x d) x density
= (100 x 20 x 4.5) x 1.025
= 9225 T

Solution (b): From the graph the KM for a

draught of 4.5m is approximately 9.5 m.
KM = 9.5 m
Required: GM = 1.2 m
Maximum: KG = 8.3 m

 Solution (c): Take moments about the keel in the normal way but let x

equal the KG at which to load the final 250T

In the formula: KG =
8.3 =
To solve x
8.3 x 9225

= 71106 + 760x

76567.5

= 71106 + 760x

76567.5 71106= 760x

Therefore: = X = 7.186 m

FACTORS AFFECTING KM
BEAM
Consider two ships of different beam
each heeled to the same angle.
In the narrow ship a small wedge of
buoyancy is transferred from the high
side to the low side () causing B to
move to . Metacenter is at .
In the broader ship, a larger wedge of
buoyancy is transferred from high side
to the low side () causing B to move
further out to . Initial transverse
metacenter is higher at

 Draught (displacement)
Consider the formula:
At the load draught (displacement) the
volume of the transferred wedge of
buoyance (v) represents a smaller part
of the total volume of displacement of
the ship (V) than it would at the light
draught (displacement)
Thus, KM decreases as draught
increases for the normal range of
operational draughts of a ship.