Crack detection in beams using changes in frequencies and amplitudes of frequency response functions

In recent years, significant efforts have been devoted to developing non-destructive techniques for damage identification in structures. The work reported in this paper is part of an ongoing research on the experimental investigations of the effects of cracks and damages on the integrity of structures, with a view to detect, quantify, and determine their extents and locations. Two sets of aluminum beams were used for this experimental study. Each set consisted of seven beams, the first set had fixed ends, and the second set was simply supported. Cracks were initiated at seven different locations from one end to the other end (along the length of the beam) for each set, with crack depth ratios ranging from 0.1d to 0.7d (d is the beam depth) in steps of 0.1, at each crack location. Measurements of the acceleration frequency responses at seven different points on each beam model were taken using a dual channel frequency analyzer. The damage detection schemes used in this study depended on the measured changes in the first three natural frequencies and the corresponding amplitudes of the measured acceleration frequency response functions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.