Nonlinear Vibration Analysis of a Beam with a Breathing Crack

The phenomena of sub- and super-harmonic responses make up one of the prominent nonlinear characteristics of a beam with a breathing crack. In order to fully understand the behaviors of sub- and super-harmonic resonances, it is necessary to analyze the nonlinear vibration of a beam-like structure with a breathing crack. In this study, a new stiffness model that considers the influence of the partial crack closure is proposed to model the stiffness variation of the cracked beam. Based on the finite element model of a beam with a breathing crack, the multiple-scale method is proposed to analyze the nonlinear vibration of a cracked beam subjected to harmonic excitation, and the relation between the nonlinear vibration of the cracked beam and the system parameters is obtained. An experiment is conducted to validate the analytical results. The study shows that the nonlinear responses of a beam with a breathing crack are affected by both the structural parameters and the crack parameters.