Frequency response sensitivity to crack for piezoelectric FGM beam subjected to moving load

Since functionally graded material (FGM) is increasingly used in high-tech engineering, free and forced vibrations of FGM structures become an important issue. This report addresses the analysis of frequency response sensitivity to crack for piezoelectric FGM beams subjected to moving load. First, a frequency domain model of a cracked FGM beam with a piezoelectric layer is conducted to derive an explicit expression of the electrical charge produced in the piezoelectric layer under the moving load. It was shown in the previous works of the authors that the electrical charge is a reliable representation of the beam frequency response to moving load and can be efficiently employed as a measured diagnostic signal for structural health monitoring. Then, a damage indicator acknowledged as a spectral damage index (SDI) calculated from the electrical frequency response is introduced and used for sensitivity analysis of the response to crack. Under the sensitivity analysis the effect also of FGM and moving load parameters on the sensitivity is examined and illustrated by numerical results.