EFFECT OF CRACKS ON THE NATURAL FREQUENCY OF CANTILEVERED PLATES - A RAYLEIGH-RITZ SOLUTION

The possibility of cracks appearing in the blades of turbo machines ca nnot be ruled out. The failure of this critical component may occur du e to the presence of cracks. The feasibility of natural frequency bein g considered as a criterion for damage detection has been investigated . As a first step toward this goal, the natural frequency being consid ered as a criterion for damage detection has been investigated. As a f irst step toward this goal, the natural frequency of the cracked blade is estimated by the generalized Rayleigh-Ritz method using simplifyin g assumptions. The paper concludes that natural frequency does not app ear to be an appropriate criterion for integrity analysis as far as th e simplified model is concerned, but recommends further in-depth study using completely numerical and experimental methods before reaching a firm conclusion.