Journal of Vibroengineering, vol.17, no.7, pp.3792-3802, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
This paper presents theoretical contributions for the flexural vibration analysis of the Rayleigh beam having an edge crack with either symmetrical/asymmetrical two sided axial progressions (T shaped crack) or one sided axial progression (L shaped crack). Cracks are modelled as breathing that covers the conditions of open and closed crack cycles during the vibration of the beam. The energy release formulations given in fracture mechanics are rearranged to obtain the energy consumed due to the cracks considered. Natural frequencies of the beams with T and L shaped cracks are calculated by the Ritz’s approximation method that employs a continuous model of balanced energy distribution. Results of the method proposed are compared by the results obtained by the finite element (FE) analysis. Good agreements are achieved for several case studies including various axial progression lengths, depths, and locations of the crack.