Crack Identification in a Rotating Shaft via the Reverse Directional Frequency Response Functions

Abstract

A method is proposed for identifying the location of an open transverse crack in flexible rotor systems by modeling the crack as a localized element with rotating asymmetry. It exploits the strong correlations between the modal constants of the reverse directional frequency response functions (r-dFRFs) and the degree and location of asymmetry. A map of the modal constants of the r-dFRFs for all elements is constructed to identify the location of crack by comparing the identified modal constants to those of the reference map. This paper also addresses practical issues associated with measurement noises and limited number of sensors. The proposed crack identification method is finally applied to a flexible rotor system with an open transverse crack in order to demonstrate the identification procedure for detection of the crack location.