Structural Health Monitoring of Cracked Beam by the Dual Reciprocity Boundary Element Method

In this paper a 2D boundary element model is used to characterize the transient response of a piezoelectric based structural health monitoring system for cracked beam. The BE model is written for piezoelectric non-homogeneous problem employing generalized displacements. The dual reciprocity method is used to write the mass matrix in terms of boundary parameters only. The multidomain boundary element technique is implemented to model non-homogeneous and cracked configuration, unilateral interface conditions are also considered to prevent the physical inconsistence of the overlapping between interface nodes belonging to the crack surfaces. To assess the reliability and the effectiveness of the model numerical analyses are carried out on the modal and dynamic response of undamaged beam and results are compared with finite element calculations. Electrical response of piezoelectric sensors are then reported for different crack configurations in comparison with the undamaged case.