Estimation of Static Deflection in Beam with Crack Using FEA

Abstract

Mechanical components like cantilever beam are used in many mechanical assemblies and structures. Presence of a crack in such elements cause changes in its static and dynamic responses. The change in static deflection values can be used for prediction of crack location and severity. In this paper, static deflection for a cracked cantilever beam is computed using a commercial finite element code: ANSYS Mechanical 16.0, and it is validated with the measured static deflections. It is found that the predicted FE values show good agreement with the experimental values if due care in FE modeling is taken; maximum deviation is found to be less than 11%.