Crack detection in beams using experimental modal data and finite element model

In this paper, an analytical, as well as experimental approach to the crack detection in cantilever beams by vibration analysis is established. An experimental setup is designed in which a cracked cantilever beam is excited by a hammer and the response is obtained using an accelerometer attached to the beam. To avoid non-linearity, it is assumed that the crack is always open. To identify the crack, contours of the normalized frequency in terms of the normalized crack depth and location are plotted. The intersection of contours with the constant modal natural frequency planes is used to relate the crack location and depth. A minimization approach is employed for identifying the cracked element within the cantilever beam. The proposed method is based on measured frequencies and mode shapes of the beam.