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Wind tries to push the sailing ship over. Ballast, as you know, tries to keep the sailing ship upright. Here's how:
Floating boats have buoyancy, water pushing the ship up, gravity pushing it back down. If buoyancy is greater than the pull of gravity, the ship floats. But, because the ship has weight, it sinks a little into the water, making some of the water move away. The sailing ship is said to displace that water. By the way, the amount of water that is displaced (moved away) will weigh the exact same as the weight of the sailing ship! So, people will refer to the ship's displacement rather than how much it weighs.
Because of the upward push of the water is greater than the downward pull of gravity, we have what is called the centre of bouyancy. Usually, it is quite high, inside the hull of the sailing ship. But gravity's pull also has a centre, too. That is usually lower inside the hull of the sailing ship. In fact, the lower that centre of gravity is OR the higher the centre of buoyancy is, the better. The distance between the two centres is called the sailing ship's metacentric height. The larger the metacentric height, the more a sailing ship will "want" to stay right-side-up.
Rubber (which tires are made of) does not weight very much compared to lead (the metal.) 100 pounds of tires will weigh the exact same as 100 pounds of lead. The thing is, however, 100 pounds of tire (tyre) will probably take up as much space for about two tires. One hundred pounds of lead, on the other hand, will probably fit in your hands... yes, still weighing 100 pounds!
So, if you only have 3 or 4 cubic feet to put ballast in, you want to get as much weight in that volume as you can. Two tires can fit into 4 cubic feet which, as I said, is about 100 pounds (in a small sailing ship, eh?) However, in 4 cubic feet of lead, that should be in the thousands of pounds! That will, of course, bring the centre of gravity way down near the bottom of the sailing ship. This will be much further away from the centre of buoyance and, therefore, give a much bigger metacentric height (the two centres will be further apart, vertically.) The larger the metacentric height, the more stronger the sailing ship will be in remaining upright.
Yes, you can use tires (tyres) as ballast, but lead would be very much better. (Lead is also more expensive than rubber. Ship builders have been known to use steel plates, steel nails, or even, sometimes, concrete! Both are much more efficient at getting the centre of gravity down low compared to rubber. But the best is lead.
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Were steam ships used before sailing ships?
First were sailing ships, THEN steam ships.
Where steam ships used before sailing ships?
paris
What is main ballast of a vessel?
Ballast used to be stones. With the invention of the electric pump, I think most ships will actually pump water into and out of tanks to adjust their ballast now.
What were ships ballasts used for during World War 2?
When the ship is empty it rides very high in the water, bobbing around like a cork. This is unstable and uncomfortable for the crew. Ballast - sea water - was usually taken on, in special built-in tanks just inside the hull of the ship, to make the ship heavier, so it would ride lower in the water and be more stable. In olden times sailing ships used rocks for ballast.
What is void space in ships?
Void space is an empty compartment not used for cargo or ballast purpose.
Why put calcium in tractor tires?
Calcium chloride was added to the water used for liquid ballast in tractor tires because it prevents the water from freezing.
What were convoys used used for?
Convoys were used to destroy any U-boats that were in their way.
What sailing ships did trade winds use?
Trade winds were typically used by sailing ships such as the clipper ships, galleons, and merchant vessels. These ships relied on the steady and predictable trade winds to facilitate their voyages across oceans by harnessing the power of the wind to propel them forward.
What do you call the winds that old sailing ships used?
You may be referring to the "trade winds".
How were sailing ships used to transport cotton to the North?
they put cotton in a boat and brought it the the north
What Ships Did Hernando De Soto Use?
The ships he used were mostly large sailing ships from France, and Caravels. Three of them were called the Esperanza, San Christoval, and Miguel.
What are buoys used for when sailing?
When sailing the ocean blue, buoys are an invaluable tool. They assist in navigation by directing ships into shipping channels and away from shoals or crowds.
