Beam Damage

The article I am blogging about this week is Detection and quantification of structural damage of a Beam-like structure using natural frequencies. 

When most teachers teach of the natural frequencies of structural beams, the Tacoma Narrows bridge is always mentioned.  All materials have a natural frequency and when a force and materials frequency are close, extreme vibrations can occur.  This was the case with the Tacoma Narrows bridge.  The designers of this bridge did not factor in the natural frequency of their supports and therefore the bridge fell.

As for the article I read for this blog, a system was developed to find structural damage by using frequencies.  The system in question applies a known frequency to a material and based upon its natural frequency, predicts damage.  Cracks and other damage can be quantified based upon how the material responds to a given frequency.


This technique could be very useful in analyzing buildings that cannot be easily examined such as large sky scrapers.  This technique could be employed to see which beams are wearing down the most and appropriate measures can be taken to stop this wear.

Sasmal, Saptarshi, and K. Ramanjaneyulu. "Detection and quantification of structural damage of a Beam-like structure using natural frequencies." Engineering 1.3 (Nov 2009): 167(10). Academic OneFile. Gale. Clemson University Libraries. 27 Oct. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=clemson_itweb