Vibration analysis of a cracked circular curved beams

Nowadays, beams which are made of composite materials are one of the most important structure elements used in aerospace and automotive industries. These beams can be used not only in straight form but also curved one. In this study, in-plane vibrations of cracked circular curved beams made of two different materials (steel and composite) are calculated by using finite element method via software package ANSYS. First three modes and respective natural frequencies of the Rayleigh-Ritz beam with a crack in different locations and depths are evaluated. Circular curvature is modelled on a plane inclined in longitudinal axis. During the study, beam is fixed by using either cantilever (Fix-Free) or both end fixed (Fix-Fix) support connections. Crack is regarded as a capillary crack. When the cracks in different locations and depths are investigated, it is observed that as the crack depth increases, natural frequency value decreases.