Analytical, numerical and experimental investigation of dynamic behavior of cracked elastic beams

In this thesis, free and forced vibrations of cracked elastic beams are considered. The effects of the crack on the beam behavior are analyzed by analytical, numerical and experimental methods. The present thesis consists of mainly four chapters. In the first chapter, after summarizing the related literature, the formulation of the methods used to obtain free and forced vibration characteristics of the cracked beam is given. In the second chapter, analytical, numerical and experimental results of the dynamic characteristics for the undamaged and damaged cantilever beams are presented. In addition, the dynamic characteristics of the simple beam under moving load are obtained by the transfer matrix method for undamaged and damaged cases, and the information on the forced vibration behavior under moving load is presented. In the third chapter, comparison of the dynamic characteristics of the cracked cantilever beam obtained from the three methods is presented. In addition, displacements at the mid-point of the beam are given for the undamaged and damaged cases in the forced vibration of the simple beam, as well as the stress intensity factors calculated at the mid-point for the damaged cases. In the fourth chapter, the results of the study and some suggestions for future studies are presented. As a conclusion, it is observed that the presence amount and dimensions of a crack in a building element have a great effect on its dynamic characteristics as well as its response to dynamic loads.