Investigation of the Effect of Material on Undamped Free Vibration of Cantilever Beams with Uniform Single Surface Crack

Abstract

Crack detection in structures is a critical area of research where the developments have been made out since decades. Various techniques are available for early identification and quantification of cracks to predict and prevent the unexpected sudden failure of structure and ensure uninterrupted service. Use of vibration analysis for detecting crack is one of the widely used techniques which offer lots of advantages over other like it is easier and less costly method and can be used for inaccessible components. The present work attempts to use modal analysis through FEA to investigate the effect of crack on natural frequency of vibration in beams of different materials, for three different crack location. From the result, it has been inferred that among Structural Steel (SS), Aluminium alloy (Al) and Gray Cast Iron (CI), the natural frequency is highest for Al beam and lowest for CI beam. Introduction of crack reduces the natural frequency of vibration, however, the effect of crack location on frequency is not uniform for different modes. Also, the trend is similar in beams of all the materials.