Sensitivity analysis of crack detection in beams by wavelet technique

This paper examines the sensitivity of wavelet technique in the detection of cracks in beam structures. Specifically, the effects of different crack characteristics, boundary conditions, and wavelet functions employed are investigated. Crack characteristics studied include the length, orientation and width of slit. The two different boundary conditions considered are simply supported and fixed end support, and the two types of wavelets compared in this study are the Haar and Gabor wavelets. The results show that the wavelet transform is a useful tool in detection of cracks in beam structures. The dimension of the crack projected along the longitudinal direction can be deduced from the analysis. The method is sensitive to the curvature of the deflection profile and is a function of the support condition. For detection of discrete cracks, Haar wavelets exhibit superior performance. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.