Analytical solution for the dynamic analysis of a delaminated composite beam traversed by a moving constant force

A closed form solution is presented in this paper to study the dynamics of a composite beam with a single delamination under the action of a moving constant force. The delaminated beam is divided into four interconnected beams using the delamination limits as their boundaries. Governing motion equations are derived in which the differential stretching and the bending-extension coupling are considered. The method of modal analysis is adopted to derive analytically the dynamic response of each beam. The obtained results for the free vibrations of delaminated beam are verified against reported similar results in the literature. Moreover, the maximum dynamic response of such a beam is compared with a healthy beam. The effects of different parameters such as the force velocity, different ply configuration and the size, depth and spanwise location of the single delamination on the dynamic response of the beam are studied. It is noticed that the presence of delamination has significant influence on the dynamic response of the beam.