Dynamic deflection of a cracked shaft subjected to moving mass

The dynamic behaviour of a cracked shaft is greatly affected by the mass moving on it. Magnitude and the travelling velocity of the mass along with the position of the crack on the shaft are the major parameters, considered in this investigation. The local flexibility due to the crack is evaluated from the theory of fracture mechanics. Then the normal modes for the cracked shaft are found and are used for formulating the equation of the moving mass system. Runge-Kutta method is used to solve the differential equation for the dynamic deflection of a simply supported cracked shaft, subjected to a moving mass of varying magnitudes and velocities. Significant change in the dynamic behaviour of the shaft is observed from the above analysis.