Vibration of cracked plate using differential quadrature method and experimental modal analysis

In this study, the vibration of cracked plates is investigated using the differential quadrature method and experimental modal analysis. The crack, which is assumed to be open, is modeled by the extended rotational spring. With its finite length, the crack divides the plate into six segments. Then, the differential quadrature is applied to the governing differential equations of motion and the corresponding boundary and continuity conditions. An eigenvalue analysis is performed on the resulting system of algebraic equations to obtain the natural frequencies of the cracked plate. To ensure the integrity and robustness of the presented method, experimental modal analysis is carried out on cantilever plates having open cracks with finite length and the results are compared with the proposed method. A numerical study is undertaken to show the effect of length, depth and location of the crack on natural frequencies of the plates. The results verify the accuracy and efficiency of differential quadrature method.