Simulation and Analysis with Wavelet Transform Technique and the Vibration Characteristics for Early Revealing of Cracks in Structures

Abstract

Implementation of improved instruments is used to detect damage in an accurate manner and fully analyze its characteristics. An aluminum beam has been used in this work to identify cracks by using a vibration technique. The simulation of frequency response feature was conducted using a finite element model to provide average measures of intensities of vibration. Two forms of wavelet packet transform (WPT) entropies Shannon and log energy were applied to identify the position, width, and size of the crack. The results showed that with an increase in crack depth, the amplitude also increased at certain crack sizes and for all crack positions. For two crack depths of 1.6 mm and 0.16 mm having the same crack size and position 12 mm and 60 mm, respectively, a 4.5% increase in amplitude was observed at a crack depth of 1.6 mm. Moreover, the amplitude varied inversely with the position. A 12.6% increase in amplitude was observed at a crack depth of 1.6 mm rather than 0.16 mm, while both depths occurred at the same crack position (75 mm) and size (20 mm). Experimental validation was performed on a cantilever beam with one crack. The maximum absolute error found was 7.5% for the crack position and 9.1% for the crack size. With the increase in crack depth, the obtained results decrease the stiffness of a beam in a single crack case.