Vibration analysis of cracked post-buckled beams

Vibration analysis of cracked post-buckled beam is investigated in this study. Crack, assumed to be open, is modeled by a massless rotational spring. The beam is divided into two segments and the governing nonlinear equations of motion for the post-buckled state are derived. The solution consists of static and dynamic parts, both leading to nonlinear differential equations. The differential quadrature has been used to solve the problem. First, it is applied to the equilibrium equations, leading to a nonlinear algebraic system of equations that will be solved utilizing an arc length strategy. Next, the differential quadrature is applied to the linearized dynamic differential equations of motion and their corresponding boundary and continuity conditions. Upon solution of the resulting eigenvalue problem, the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the cracked beam are extracted. Several experimental as well as numerical case studies are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The investigation also includes an examination of several parameters influencing the dynamic behavior of the problem. The results show that the position and size of the crack as well as the geometric imperfection and applied load largely affect the modal shapes and natural frequencies of the beam.