Abstract

This paper presents a method for identification of location and depth of a crack in a cantilever beam by means of a genetic algorithm based on the signs of crack identification are beams natural frequencies. The cracked element stiffness matrix is based on the theory that local flexibility goes up because of the appearance of cracks. Crack location and depth is identified by minimizing fitness function, which performs difference between natural frequencies calculated and measured. Results show that this method helps to make prediction with high accuracy and converging speed.