TORSIONAL VIBRATION OF A SHAFT WITH

A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK

ANDREW DIMAROGONAS and GEORGE MASSOUROS

Machine Design Lab, University of Patras. Greece

Abstract-The influence of a circumferential crack upon the torsional dynamic behavior of a shaft is
studied. introduction of such a crack results in lower torsional natural frequencies due to the added
flexibility.
The strain energy release function is related to the compliance of the cracked shaft, that is to the local
flexibility due to the introduction of the crack. This function is related to the stress intensity factor which
for torsion of a shaft with a circumferential crack has a known expression. As a result, the local flexibility
of the shaft due to the presence of the crack has been computed. This result can be further utilized to yield
the dynamic response of a shaft with complex geometry.
The torsional natural frequency is expected to decrease with increasing crack depth. To establish such
function, a contjnuous shaft with a circumferential crack was analyzed. The fundamental natural frequency
showed strong dependence on the crack depth. This dependence is smaller as the order of the frequency
increases. Experimental results are in close agreement with analysis.
The results show that the change in dynamic response due to the crack is high enough to allow the
detection of the crack and estimation of its location or magnitude.

1. INTRODUCTION
SINGULARITIES
IN elastic structures can introduce their dynamic behavior. Jones and
O’Donnell[l] showed that axisymmetric solids have considerable local flexibilities at their
junctures.
Cracks are associated with local flexibilities which can introduce considerable local flexibilities
which influence considerably the dynamic response of the structure. Such analyses have been
reported for turbine vanes[2), for welded platesf31 and for framed structures[4]. It was shown
experimentally that changes in natural frequencies due to cracks can be safely detected in certain
machines and structures and their magnitude can be estimated.
Circumferential cracks often appear in a variety of machinery. Shafts of thermal machines
such as gas and steam turbines and aircraft engines are found many times with such cracks,
especially in welded rotors. Identification of the crack in service is desirable and estimation of
the crack depth at the same time can be very useful because the machine can have a
programmed maintainance instead of a catastrophic failure.

2. THE LOCAL FLEXIBILITY

The somewhat similar problem of torsional wave scattering about a penny-shaped crack was
studied by Sih and Loeber[S, 61. They studied the scattering of a given torsional wave due to
the penny-shaped crack by way of the field equation solved by a finite Hankel transform.
Although the same procedure could be used for the problem at hand, an energy method was
utilized, based on the wealth of data existing for the strain energy release function.
The strain energy in the shaft due to a torque T is

&k (1)
2

where c is the local flexibility (compliance) of the shaft due to the crack, A(p/AT.
The strain energy release rate with respect to the crack surface A = (it is defined as

(2)

Irwin and Kies[7] suggested that by measuring the flexibility of a test specimen, or a
component model, with various crack depths a, the value of the gradient dc/aa as function of LY
could be determined, leading to the determination of the strain energy release function.
439
440 A. DIMAROGONAS and G. MASSOUROS

By using virtual work arguments Irwin[8] demonstrated that the energy release rate G could
be related to the stress intensity factor K as

G _ K:II (3)
2cL
where p is the shear modulus and the mode III stress intensity factor K,,, is defined by the
relation

(~~)=-$$=[sin~]+terms of order r” (4)

cos -
2

giving the shear stresses in the vicinity of the crack at distance r from its tip.
Equations (2) and (3) yield

(3

Integrating

c=
aC2(rR-a)da.
K:I, (6)

An expression is needed for the stress intensity factor ICI,, for the problem at hand.
For a shaft with a circumferential crack Bueckner[9] has outlined a method for the
determination of KIrr as function of the crack depth.
Benthem and Koiter[lO] have approximated the stress intensity factor K for a cylinder in
torsion T with a circumferential crack with the following expression

K =; ~+;A~+~A’+;A~+~~+O.~O~A~
1 (7)

where A = (R - a)/R, R the shaft radius, Fig. 1.

The dimensionless stress intensity factor K is defined by the relation

Fig. 1. Geometry of a rotor with a circumferential crack.

 Torsional vibration of a shaft with a circumferential crack 441

Therefore, comparison with eqn (4) yields

(9)

The flexibility in dimensionless form becomes (eqn 6)

RS K2((u)da = I(a/R). (10)

(R

The integral I(a/R) has the value

I(a/R) = 0.035(1 - dR)-4 + O.Ol(1 - o/R) + 0.029(1- a/R)2 +

+ 0.0086(1- a/R)3 + 0.0044(1 - CZ/R)~
+ 0.0025(1 - (u/R)‘jt
+ 0.0017(1 - (r/R)’ + 0.008(1 - (Y/R)’- 0.092.

Values of this integral are plotted in Fig. 2.

3. EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE
The measurement of the local flexibility on a Plexiglas shaft was carried out indirectly on the
same apparatus used for developing the fatigue crack.
A light shaft carries an inertia Jo at the end while the crack is near the support (Fig. 3).
In the model of Fig. 3, the natural frequency for torsional motion without crack, is

oo= JiF-= Jzq

JO
32~’
0
k=-?$$ (11)

while at the presence of a crack of stiffness k,

:=& (12)

Therefore

+=&J--&l] (13)

which leaves for the expression [l/(o/oo)*- l] L/2R the role of an experimental value of the

_i
C

Fig. 2. Analytical vs experimental results for torsional local flexibility due to the crack.
442 A. D~MAROGONAS and G. MASSOUROS

r-+-l 1

lo

Fig. 3. Model and geometryof the test specimen.

Fig. 4. Experimentat results: Frequency drop O/WC,vs crack depth ratio a/R.

integral Z(cw/R)in eqn (7). For comparison, the experimental result is plotted in Fig. 2 vs the
analytical function. In the experiment, a plexiglass shaft was used with diameter d =O.O20m,
length I. = 0.75 m, p = 1.1 X 10’~~~~. The measured function of the frequency change o/w0 vs
the relative crack depth is shown in Fig. 4. Here, o is the torsional naturaf frequency with the
crack and o. the same frequency without the crack. From these results and eqn (13) the
cracked shaft local flexibility parameter was computed and entered in Fig. 2 as a function of the
crack depth. At small crack depths a/R there is a considerable discrepancy between analytical
and experimental results which was to be expected due to the difficulty in accurate measure-
ment of small frequency differences of the order of 1% which appear for cracks with a/R in the
range O-0.4.

4. THE CONTINUOUS SHAFT

A continuous shaft with free ends, Fig. 5, has a length L and at distance L, from left there is
a circumferential crack of depth CCUsual procedures 121lead to the frequency equation
 Torsional vibration of a shaft with a circumferential crack 443

(14)

where R is the shaft diameter, L its length, o is the shaft torsional natural frequency y is the
torsional wave velocity = G p the density of the shaft material.
Let 5 the frequency parameter = oL/y A = LJL the location of the crack on the shaft
5 = (7rR3~c/4)(R/L) the crack flexibility parameter.
Equation (11) becomes

sin he cos (1 - A)[ + sin (1 - A)t[cos A,$- 5 sin At] = 0 (15)

The first three solutions OIL/~, wL/-y and 03Lly of eqn (15) were computed as functions of
the flexibility parameter E;with parameter the location A = LJL of the crack on the shaft. The
results were plotted in Fig. 6. It is obvious that on absense of the crack, 5 = 0, the first three
frequency parameters are 7~,27~ and 3~. This result is known for a free cylindrical shaft in
torsional vibration[2].

-L- )f

Fig. 5. Model for a continuous rotor with a circumferential crack.

1.

Fig. 6. Frequency drop for the lowest three harmonics vs crack depth a/R and crack location LJL.
444 A. DIMAROGONAS and G. MASSOUROS

It can be seen from Fig. 6 that the crack can have substantial influence upon the natural
vibration of the shaft. In the upper part of Fig. 6 the crack depth a/R over the crack flexibility
parameter (&pci4)(R/L) was plotted, for a shaft for different R/L ratios to allow a direct
evaluation of the frequency drop as a function of the crack depth cr/R and the inverse of it. It
can be seen that relatively small cracks can have substantial influence on the torsional natural
frequencies with measurable magnitude. This gives a very useful method for identification of
the magnitude and location of the crack. Since the change of the first three frequencies shown
does not follow the same pattern it is possible to estimate location and magnitude. This is very
useful for a rotating machine because it allows for the identification of the crack without
disassemblying the machine, even without stopping it. Proper instrumentation can provide
continuous monitoring of the machine operation and an early warning for the existence of a
crack.

5. DISCUSSION
The natural torsional vibration of a cylindrical shaft was found to be considerably influenced
by the presence of a circumferential crack. The quantitive evaluation of this effect was based
on the derivation of an integral relation between the local torsional flexibility and the stress
intensity factor. This is the inverse of the procedure suggested by Irwin[7, 81 for the
experimental determination of the stress intensity factor from measurements of the compliance
of a test specimen. By the present method, the local flexibility of a shaft in torsion due to the
crack is evaluated from the analytical results relating the strain energy release function (and
consequently the stress intensity factor) to crack depth. This method can have many practical
applications because there is a wealth of analytical results for strain energy release and stress
intensity factors. For the corresponding cracks on structures one can compute the vibration
frequency change due to the presence of the cracks. This procedure can be used also for
identification of the location and the magnitude of the crack on a rotating shaft, without direct
inspection, even at running conditions. It allows also for continuous monitoring in shafts in
service, especially for machines which have welded rotors and frequent inspections are
impractical.
Finally, this method can be used also as experimental method for the determination of the
strain energy release and stress intensity factors from vibration measurements which can be
made with high accuracy and for very complicated geometries. Furthermore, these measure-
ments can be made on actual machine members containing cracks and they are very fast and
inexpensive. A portable frequency analyzer can become a very useful inspection tool for
monitoring crack propagation in machine members, on the basis of the natural frequency drift
due to cracks.

REFERENCES
[I] D. P. Jones and W. J. O’Donnel, Local flexibilities for axisymmetric junctures. Truns ASME J. EngngInd. l-5 i 1971).
[2] A. D. Dimarogonas, Vibration Engineering.West Publishers St. Paul (1976).
[3] T. G. Chondros and A. D. Dimarogonas, Identification of cracks in welded joint\ of complex structures. J. Sound c~nd
Vibru~ion69.531-538 (1980).
[4] T. G.Chondrosand A.D.~jmarogonas,Identi~~ationof cracks in circular plates welded at the contour, ASME Paper
No. 79-DET-106.Design Engng Tech, Conf., St. Louis, U.S.A. (Sept. 1979).
[S] G. C. Sih and J. E. Loeber, Torsional vibration of an elastic solid containing a penny-shaped crack. J. Acousf. Sot. Am.
44, 1237-1245(1968).
. _ J. F. Loeber and G. C. Sih, torsional War%Scutterin~ about a Pe~ay-S~uped Crack on u Bim~terinf Inte~uce, in
f61
~nQmic Crack Propagation (Ed. G. Sib), pp. 513-528,.Nordhoff, Leyden (1973).
[7] G. R. Irwin and J. A. Kies, Fracturing and fracture dynamics. Weld. J. Res. Suppl. 34, 570 (1955).
[8] G. R. Irwin, Analysis of stresses and strains near the end of a crack traversing a plate. J. Appl. Mech. 24, (1957).
[9] Ii. F. Bueckner, Field singularities and related integral representations, In Methods of Analysis and Solutions of
Crack Problems, (Ed. G. Sib). p. 239. Noordhoff, Leyden (1973).
[lo] J. P. Benthem, W. T. Koiter. Asymptotic approximations to crack problems. ibid. p. 174.

(Received I8 December 1980:received for publication I? January 1981)