A solution method for analysis of cracked plates under vibration

An investigation on the vibrational behaviour of cracked rectangular plates is reported. Vibration analysis is carried out for plates with a crack (i) emanating from an edge or (ii) centrally located. A highly computationally efficient and accurate domain decomposition method is presented. To establish this discrete model, the cracked plate domain is assumed to be an assemblage of small subdomains with the appropriate shape functions formed according to the boundary conditions. The complete coupling process leads to a governing eigenvalue equation that can be solved to obtain the vibration frequencies. These results, where possible, are compared with the work of other investigators. With these results, the effects of various geometric parameters on the vibration response of cracked plates can be examined. Some concrete conclusions can be deduced from a careful examination of these results. © 1994.