Abstract

In this research the buckling load of a cracked beam is investigated analytically by solution the general equation of beam with crack effect and numerically by finite element method using of ANSYS program ver. 14 with different crack depth and location effect and the results is compared. The analytical results of the effect of a crack in a continuous beam by calculating the equivalent stiffness, EI, for a rectangular beam to involve an exponential function with depth and location of crack effect, with solution of assuming equivalent stiffness beam (EI) using of Fourier series method. And, the beam materials studied are different beam materials with different beam length, width and depth beam. A comparison made between analytical results from theoretical solution of general equation of motion of beam with crack effect with numerical by ANSYS results, where the biggest percentage error is about (3.8 %). Also it is found that the buckling load of beam when the crack is in the middle position is less than the buckling with crack near the end position and the buckling load of beam decreasing with increasing of crack depth due to decreasing of beam stiffness at any location of crack in beam.