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Determining the size and location of transverse cracks in beams

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Abstract

The spectral element method, which is very suitable for solving inverse dynamic problems, is combined with a stochastic genetic algorithm to give a scheme that can locate and size cracks in structural components. The mechanical model is based on an approach that separates the global structural dynamics from the local crack-tip zone dominated by singular stresses. The global model, consisting of connected waveguides, describes the structural dynamics using spectral elements. The local model, describing the crack-tip behavior, is based on the relation between the stress-intensity factor and the stored strain energy representing the crack region. The results are demonstrated with experimental data from an aluminum beam with a transverse crack.

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Doyle, J.F. Determining the size and location of transverse cracks in beams. Experimental Mechanics 35, 272–280 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02319668

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