A hybrid model for modelling arbitrary cracks in isotropic plate structures

Damage modelling is essential in preliminary structural design and non-destructive damage detection. This paper investigates changes in natural frequencies of plates due to an arbitrarily aligned crack. A novel hybrid method couples an exact strip model for the intact part with a finite element model for the cracked part. The crack is modelled as a rotational spring with additional rotational freedoms being added to the finite element nodes. The method is validated against published results for through-the-depth cracks. Cracks with varying direction, location, depth and length are used to study the effects of changing the crack parameters.

Automated summary

Damage modelling is crucial for preliminary structural design and non-destructive damage detection. This paper proposes a novel hybrid method that combines an exact strip model with a finite element model to analyze changes in natural frequencies of plates caused by arbitrarily aligned cracks. The crack is represented as a rotational spring with additional rotational freedoms. The method is validated by comparing with published results and used to investigate the effects of varying crack parameters.