Journal ofSound and Vibration (1988) 125(3), 441-461

FLEXURAL VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH

DELAMINATIONS

P.M. MUJUMDAR AND S.~URYANARAYAN

Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India

(Received 16 June 1987, and in revisedform 20 Januar?, 1988)

The effect of delamination on the natural vibration characteristics of laminated beam

type structures is studied. An analytical model is presented for beams with through-width
delaminations parallel to the beam surface located arbitrarily in both the spanwise and
thicknesswise directions. The beam is modelled as four separate component segments,
each analyzed as an Euler beam. An analysis is presented of the case of vibration when
the two segments of the beam in the delamination region are constrained to have identical
transverse deformation. A critical assessment of the analytical models available in the
literature and a comparative study with the analytical model proposed here is presented.
Numerical results for frequencies and mode shapes are presented for various boundary
conditions and mode numbers for a wide range of values of the size, thicknesswise and
spanwise location of the delamination. Results from an extensive experimental investiga-
tion are also presented which show excellent agreement with the analytical results obtained
by using the model proposed in this paper.

1. INTRODUCTION

One of the commonly encountered types of defect or damage in laminated composite

structures is delamination. Delaminations may originate during fabrication or may be
service-induced, such as by impact or fatigue loading. Delaminations not only affect the
strength and integrity of the structure by contributing to its final failure but also cause a
reduction in the stiffness, thus affecting its vibration and stability characteristics. This
paper presents a study of the effect of delamination on the vibration characteristics of
laminated beam type structures.
A recent review of the state-of-the-art in this subject [l] shows that studies on the
vibration characteristics of laminated structures with delaminations have been very few.
Kulkarni and Frederick [2] were among the first to examine this problem. They considered
the particular case of a circular cylindrical shell with a circumferentially symmetric
delamination crack of small length at the middle surface. In their study the effect of the
delamination was taken into account as a reduced bending rigidity of the shell over the
delamination zone, obtained by replacing the moment of inertia of the total thickness of
the shell by the sum of the moments of inertia of the delaminated layers. However, as
shown in some later studies, such a modelling grossly overestimates the reduction in the
bending stiffness caused by the delamination and therefore gives erroneous results. Using
a similar model, Ramkumar et al. [3,4] studied the free vibrations of composite beams
with through-width delaminations and compared the theoretical results obtained by them
with the results of vibration experiments on a debonded laminated cantilever beam. The
analytical predictions were found to be consistently much lower than the experimental
values indicating that the residual flexural stiffness was grossly underestimated in their
analysis.
441
0022-460X/88/180441+22%03.00/0 0 1988AcademicPress Limited
442 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

More recently, Wang et al. [5] have examined the free vibrations of a solid isotropic
beam with a through-width delamination crack, analyzing the flawed beam as four different
Euler beams that are joined together, with appropriate boundary and matching conditions
imposed to obtain the response of the beam as whole. Their analysis, though presented
for the general problem of a delamination located at an arbitrary position in the thickness
direction, leads to modes of deformation of the delaminated beam which are not physically
admissible in the case of off-midplane delaminations, as shown later in this paper.
The effect of delamination on the vibration characteristics of laminated structures has
not been sufficiently understood so far and requires further examination. In this paper,
firstly, the analytical model presented in reference [5] is examined in some detail and
the limitations in its application to the analysis of beams with delaminations are brought
out. A new analytical model is then proposed for the full cycle linear analysis of vibration
of beams with through-width delaminations, based on the assumption that the delaminated
layers of the beam are “constrained” to have identical transverse displacements. This
formulation is based on a one-dimensional Euler beam analysis in such a “constrained
mode” and can take into account delaminations located at an arbitrary position in both
the spanwise and thicknesswise directions. Numerical results for frequencies are obtained
by using this “constrained mode model” for various boundary conditions and mode
numbers for a wide range of values of the delamination size, spanwise location and
thicknesswise location of the delamination. Mode shapes for a few typical cases are also
presented.
Results of an experimental study on vibration of beams with midplane as well as
off-midplane delaminations are also presented to verify the validity of the analytical
model over a wide range of values of the delamination parameters.

2. BASIC ASSUMPTIONS AND MODELLING

Figure 1 shows a beam with an arbitrarily located through-width delamination. In order
to arrive at a physical understanding of the basic effect of the delamination without
entering into the complexities in analysis demanded by the general case of an arbitrary
composite laminate, the beam is assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic. For the sake
of simplicity, a single delamination is considered, though the analysis can be easily
extended to multiple delaminations. It is further assumed that there is no gap between
the layers at the delamination.
For the purpose of analysis, the beam has been subdivided into three spanwise regions,
namely, a delamination region and two integral regions one on either side of the delamina-
tion region, as shown in Figure 1. The delamination region is itself made up of two
separate component segments above and below the plane of the delamination, joined at
their ends to the integral segments. Each segment is modelled as an Euler beam. The
solution for the beam as a whole is obtained in terms of the solutions of all the component
Euler beams by satisfying the appropriate boundary conditions at the ends of the integral
segments and the continuity conditions at the junctions between the integral and
delamination regions.
Since the delamination region is considered as two separate beam segments, there is
a shift in the reference axis of these segments with respect to the reference axis of the
beam as a whole. Therefore, apart from the usual conditions of continuity of transverse
displacements, slopes, bending moments and shear forces, two additional conditions,
namely, the continuity of axial displacements and forces, have to be satisfied explicitly
at each junction. The satisfaction of compatibility of axial displacements at the junctions
produces, as shown in Figure 2, an additional axial load system of equal and opposite
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 443

TT-
d

Figure 1. Geometry, co-ordinate system and modelling of a beam with a delamination.

6 --&&-._. __ _+-i+_ _+$+F$

M3 M3
(b)

Figure 2. Deformation and stress components in the delamination region (a) deformation and stresses with
the layers free to slide (b) deformation and stresses when the compatibility of axial displacements is satisfied.
444 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

forces on the delaminated segments, which compresses one segment and stretches the
other such that their ends lie in the same plane. This load system gives rise to a net
resultant internal bending moment. Thus the requirement of axial compatibility produces
a differential stretching of the delaminated layers which contributes to the total bending
stiffness of the beam in the delamination zone. In the absence of such a differential
stretching, the delaminated beam becomes entirely equivalent to a beam with a step
reduction in the flexural rigidity corresponding to a reduced moment of inertia equal to
( ZZ+ 1,) over the delamination zone. However, this reduction is compensated to a certain
extent by the additional bending stiffness produced by the differential stretching depending
on the problem parameters. It is relevant to point out here that in the analytical models
of references [2], [3] and [4] differential stretching is ignored, and hence they correspond
to the one-dimensional case in which the delaminated beam is modelled as a “stepped
beam” with a reduced moment of inertia over the delamination region.

2.1. THE FREE MODE MODEL

Before continuing further with the discussion on the modelling of the beam with
delamination, it is relevant to examine in some detail the model presented in reference
[ 51 in which, also, the problem of vibration of beams with arbitrarily located delaminations
without any gap at the delamination crack is considered. The method of analysis in
reference [5] is along lines similar to that discussed above. However, in this formulation
it was assumed implicitly that each of the layers above and below the plane of the
delamination is free to undergo transverse displacement as per the requirements of
equilibrium without consideration of constraints imposed by the adjacent layer. The
delaminated layers were thus assumed to be “free” to have different transverse displace-
ments. Such a mode of deformation is referred to in the rest of this paper as the “free
mode” and the model given in reference [5] as the “free mode model”.
The study in reference [5] included consideration of various cases of thicknesswise
locations of the delaminations but no information was provided regarding the vibration
mode shapes for off-midplane delaminations. The authors of the present paper have
therefore reexamined this free mode model and have computed the frequencies and in
particular the mode shapes for various thickness-wise locations of the delamination and
different mode numbers, using this model. The computed mode shapes for a particular
case of a clamped-clamped beam with an off-midplane delamination are shown in Figure
3. It can be seen that in the case of the first symmetric mode (Figure 3(a)) the mode
shapes of the two segments of the delamination region are different and that the transverse
displacement of the upper segment is greater than that of the lower segment at all
corresponding axial stations. Such a free displacement mode would give rise, in one half
of the cycle of motion, to an overlap between the two segments, that is a downward
displacement of the upper segment greater than that of the lower segment, or vice versa.
In the case of the first antisymmetric mode (Figure 3(b)), the mode shapes would have
an overlap over a half of the delamination region over the complete cycle of motion.
Similarly, it can be shown that all the higher modes given by the free mode model will
also have overlaps. Thus the deformation modes given by the free mode model, though
mathematically admissible as equilibrium solutions, are not physically feasible. Thus
considerations of compatibility limit the manifestation of the free mode to only some of
the modes and that too only over a part of the cycle.
The second factor that further limits the manifestation of even these modes is the
limitation in the formulation of equilibrium of the free mode model itself. It was pointed
out earlier that the deformation of the delaminated beam as a whole produces a differential
stretching of the delaminated layers and gives rise to additional axial loads in these layers.
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 445
-1.0

I-- (a) /
Is,
- 0.6

0.6 -

1.0 -

Figure 3. Mode shapes of vibration of a clamped-clamped beam with a centrally located delamination,
computed by using the free mode model [5]. (a) First mode; (b) second mode. -, I?: = 0.3: - -, Liz= 0.1;
(6=0.3, Ci,=0.5).

The governing equations of equilibrium must therefore account for the geometric stiffness
produced by these axial loads. As these loads are themselves functions of the transverse
displacements, the terms representing the geometric stiffness in the equilibrium equations
are non-linear. These non-linear terms, which are ignored in the free mode model, may
become significant even within the regime of small deformation analysis, denending upon
the size and location of the delamination. Consequently, even the first symmetric mode
as obtained by the free mode model is valid only over a very small portion of that part
of the deformation cycle during which it is physically feasible.

2.2. THE CONSTRAINED MODE MODEL

The concern of the present paper is a model for the full cycle linear analysis of
delaminated beams for the determination of frequencies and mode shapes. The discussions
above showed that the free mode model is not suitable for such an analysis as it gives
vibration modes with overlaps of deformation which violate compatibility. In reality
however, the tendency of one of the delaminated layers to overlap on the other will be
resisted by the development of a contact pressure distribution between the adjacent layers.
Such a pressure distribution would constrain the transverse deformation of these adjacent
layers to be identical and thus ensure compatibility. As all the antisymmetric modes given
by the free mode model show overlaps over the entire cycle, the contact pressure
distribution developed between the delaminated layers would, in general, also constrain
their deformation to be identical over the entire cycle. The above is also true of the first
symmetric free mode for that half of the cycle in which it shows an overlap. During the
other half of the cycle when there is no overlap the effect of the geometric stiffness of
the axial loads associated with the differential stretching is, as shown in reference [7], to
force the delaminated layers to move closer to each other. Thus requirements of compatibil-
ity and the axial load system produced by differential stretching together tend to make
446 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

the transverse deformations of the adjacent delaminated layers become identical over the
entire delamination length and over the entire cycle of motion. This forms the basis for
the assumption of identical transverse displacements of the delaminated layers and the
constrained mode model proposed in this paper.
Figure 4(a) and (b) show typical deformation of the delaminated beam in the constrained
mode and pattern of normal contact pressure distribution between the delaminated layers,
respectively. The two segments in the delamination region, though having identical
transverse displacements, are assumed to be free to slide over each other in the axial
direction except at their ends, which are connected to the integral segments. The contact
is assumed to be frictionless. The contact pressure distribution is taken into account in
the governing equations of equilibrium of the two segments. Further, it is explicitly
assumed in the formulation that u2 equals u3.

(b)

Figure 4. Modelling of the constrained mode (a) deformation in the constrained mode (b) contact pressure
between the layers of the delamination region.

In the formulation for the constrained mode model presented in this paper it is assumed
that there is no natural gap between the delaminated layers. When there is a gap between
the delaminated layers in the undeformed state, the problem of vibrations of delaminated
beams becomes, in general, quite complex and non-linear. Some of these complexities
and the non-linear behaviour have been discussed in more detail in references [6] and
[7]. In these studies it has been pointed out that even when there is a small natural gap
between the delaminated layers, the effect of the differential stretching is in fact to close
the gap as the transverse deformation builds up. Therefore, the constrained mode model
becomes applicable for the vibration analysis of delaminated beams even when there is
a small natural gap at the delamination.

3. FORMULATION AND SOLUTION

The constrained mode model has been discussed in detail by the authors in reference
[S]. Its adaptation for the buckling analysis of delaminated beams has also been discussed
by the authors in reference [9]. The application of the constrained mode model for
vibration analysis is briefly described below.
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 447

3.1. GOVERNING EQUATIONS

The governing equations of transverse equilibrium for the integral segments can be
written in a dimensionless form as (a list of notation used is given in the Appendix)

a4zi;/az;+ (pA,L4/ EI) a2iii/at’ = 0, i= 1,4, (1)

where Z, (=z,/ L) and tii (=u;/d) are respectively the dimensionless axial co-ordinate
and the transverse displacement of the ith segment.
In the case of the delaminated segments the governing equations can be written as

-E12 a4uz/azi-Pd a2u2/a&-pAc2a2u2/at2-p=o, (2)

-EI, d4u,laz:+ Pd a’uJdz:-pAc, d2u,ldt2+p = 0, (3)

where p is the normal contact pressure distribution between the two segments and PC! is
the magnitude of the axial load in each segment (see Figure 2).
It can be seen that the second term on the left side in each of equations (2) and (3) is
non-linear, as the axial load Pd depends upon the amplitude and mode of deformation.
In the analysis of Wang et al. [5] in which the free mode of deformation assumption is
used, these non-linear terms are not taken into account.
Since u2 is equal to u3 everywhere in the delamination region and z2 is equal to zj, by
replacing uj and z3 by u2 and z2 in equation (3) and adding it to equation (2), the
governing equation describing the behaviour of the delamination region can be written
in a dimensionless form as

a4ti2/at~+{p(A,2+A,,)L4/E(12+13)}a2ii2/at~=0 (4)

It is interesting to note that in the constrained mode formulation the non-linear terms
cancel each other out and the final governing equation is obtained in a linear form,
considerably simplfying the analysis.
For harmonic motion,

iii = ~&(5~)sin wt, (5)

equations (1) and (4) can be written as

a4ai/az4 - h4ui = 0, i=l,2,4, (6)

where the Ai are dimensionless frequency parameters given by

A:=A:=A4=pAcw2L4/El,

A;=p(A,,+A,,)~~L~/E(1~+1~)=h~/(d;+d~), (7)

in which d2 = d,/d, and d3 = dJd. The general solution of the differential equations (6)
is given by

ii, = Ai sinh Ai& + B, cash Ai?, + C, sin A& + Di cos A,Z,, i=l,2,4. (8)

3.2. BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

Depending upon the type of end support the appropriate classical boundary conditions
can be applied at the ends Z, = 0 and _Y4= 0 in terms of the displacements as

tii = 0 or a3q/az,=0, aiii/aFi = 0 0f a2ni/azf = 0, i=l,4. (9)

448 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

3.3. CONTINUITY CONDITIONS

In order to satisfy the compatibility of displacements and equilibrium of forces at the

junctions between the integral and delamination regions, the conditions of continuity
have to be applied at these junctions. At the junction represented by Z, = 5 and .Fz= -b/2
these conditions are as follows.
Continuity of transverse displacement:

ti, = ii,. (10)

Continuity of normal slopes:

an,/ a.?, = aii,/az,. (II)

The compatibility of transverse displacement and slopes between segments 1 and 3 is

also automatically satisfied since it is assumed that u2 equals u3.
Continuity of shear forces:

v,= v,+ v,,

which can be written in terms of the displacements as

-EI a3u,/az: = -(EI,+ EZ,) a3u,/a3z,,

and in a dimensionless form as

a3ii,/ai;7 = (6:-t- ai) a3ti,/a$. (12)

Continuity of bending moments: considering the equilibrium of moments about the

midplane of the beam segment 1, one obtains M, = M,+ M3 + Pd (d/2), which can be
written in terms of the displacements as

-EI a2u,/az2= -(EZ,+ EI,) a2u2/az2+Pd(d/2),

and in a dimensionless form as

a*ii,laz: = (d:+ a:) a*ii,/az:- PdL2/2EI; (13)

equation (13) in this form is non-homogeneous due to the presence of the axial load
term. The load Pd is not known a priori as it depends upon the extent of differential
stretching of the delaminated layers.
The continuity conditions at the junction Z, = c/2, Z, = -E are obtained by replacing
i& and il by iL, and & respectively in equations (lo), (ll), (12) and (13).
Continuity of axial displacement: to ensure compatibility of axial displacements at the
two junctions the following conditions must be satisfied:

(d/2)[au,laz,l,l=,=[w2-w31,,=-h12; (14)

(d/2)[aUq/aZ41z,=-c = [w2- ~~i~,=~,~. (1%

Here w2 and w3 are the axial displacements of the midplane of segments 2 and 3
respectively. Subtracting equation (15) from equation (14) and writing the resulting
equation in a dimensionless form one obtains

(d/2)[aa,(n)laz, -aa,(-c)/az,]=[*3(6/2)-*3(-6/2)]
-[KJ2(K/2)-ti2(-~/2)], (16)

where %i = Wi/ d and d = d/L. The two terms in square brackets on the right side of
equation (16) represent the total axial extension/contraction of the midplane of segments
3 and 2 respectively. By considering the axial equilibrium of the two segments of the
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 449

delamination region and neglecting the longitudinal inertia terms, which are small for
the lower flexural modes of Euler beams, the total axial extension/contraction of the
midplane of each of these segments can be obtained as

w,(b/2)- wi(-b/2) =g- i = 2,3, (17)

‘I
where P2 = -PC,, P3 = Pd and A,., is the area of cross-section of the ith segment. The
integral term in expression (17) represents the end shortening: that is the axial contraction
caused by the bending of the beam segments. By substituting the expressions of equation
(17) for the axial displacements into equation (16) and noting that the integral terms
cancel as U2 equals fi3, equation (16) can be rewritten in a dimensionless form as
- -
(6/2)[au,(a)/az,-au,(-c)/az,]=(b/d)[(P,/EA,.,)+(P,/EA,,)]. (IS)
The right side of equation (18) can be rewritten as

(19)

The axial compatibility requirement can be written finally as

-- - P,L’
(6d,d,/b)[aii,(ci)/az, -&I,(-c)/az,] =?. (20)

It was stated earlier that the moment continuity conditions were non-homogeneous
because of the presence of the load term. However, the axial compatibility condition
(equation (20)) gives an expression for this load term in terms of the displacements. By
using this expression for the load term in the moment continuity conditions (equation
(13)), the equations (lo), (ll), (12), (13) and the corresponding equations at the second
junction, along with the boundary conditions can be written as a set of 12 simultaneous
linear homogeneous algebraic equations in the 12 unknown constants. The frequencies
and mode shapes can be obtained as the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of this equation set.

4. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
An experimental investigation was carried out in order to examine the applicability of
the analytical models discussed in this paper to the vibration analysis of beams with
delaminations. Experiments were carried out on beam specimens made by bonding
identical thin isotropic stainless steel strips together with a very thin adhesive layer. The
delamination was simulated by bonding only a part of the beam surfaces to create
unbonded regions of various sizes and locations. Typical specimen configurations with
two and three steel strips bonded together with a simulated delamination in between are
shown in Figure 5. The beam specimens were made from thin flat strips of spring steel
material which were readily available and also had very small differences in dimensions
and physical properties. The adhesive used was an instant-curing cynoacrylate. The
thickness of the adhesive layer was kept very small and was in the range 10 to 20 microns.
The vibration experiments were carried out on a cantilever beam configuration. The
beam was excited close to its root by a noncontacting electromagnetic vibration exciter
(Briiel and Kjaer (B & K) MM0002 Magnetic Transducer) and the vibration was picked
up through a non-contacting capacitance transducer (B & K MM0004 with B & K
microphone power supply). The source of the excitation signal was the beat frequency
oscillator section of a frequency analyzer (B & K 2010 Heterodyne Analyzer) which could
give a frequency variation of 0.01 Hz with a digital frequency readout of this accuracy.
450 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

i Delominotion

Figure 5. Configuration of beam specimen used in the experiments for midplane and off-midplane delamina-
tions. t, = t, = t,; t,, = I,,~ = lo-20 microns. Cl, Steel strips; -, adhesive layer.

A phase meter (B & K 2971) with a digital display was used to determine the resonance
condition in conjunction with Lissajous figures observed on an oscilloscope. The output
of the displacement sensor was also connected to a frequency counter as a further check.
Firstly, free vibration frequencies of individual steel strips were determined experi-
mentally and the value of E/p for each strip was calculated. The maximum difference
between the E/p values of the individual strips and the average value was found to be
less than 1.0%. This average value was used later for the purpose of comparison between
theoretical and experimental results in the case of the delaminated beams. To test the
effectiveness of the adhesive bonded specimens, fully bonded beams with two steel strips
were firstly tested and experimental frequencies compared with theoretically calculated
values which took into account the thickness of the thin adhesive layer, even though it
was very small. Excellent agreement was obtained which showed that the bonded steel
specimen configuration was well suited for the experiments. Test specimens with delamina-
tions of various sizes and locations were then made and tested to determine their natural
frequencies and mode shapes. The experimental results obtained for various cases of
delaminations are shown in Tables 1 and 2 along with the theoretically predicted
frequencies based on the free mode and constrained mode models. More details of the
experimental study are available in reference [8].

5. ANALYTICAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Figures 6-13 present typical numerical results bringing out the influence of delamination
size (6), spanwise and thickness-wise location of the delamination (6, and &) and
boundary conditions on the frequencies (A) and mode shapes of the delaminated beam.
More extensive results are available in reference [8]. In these figures and in the following
discussion, the terms “midplane” and “off-midplane” have been used to refer to the
thicknesswise location of the delamination and the term “centrally located” to refer to
its location at midspan (6, = O-5).
Figures 6-8 show that the thicknesswise location and size of the delamination have a
significant influence on the value of A. It can be seen that the frequency values given by
the constrained mode model are lowest when the delamination is located at the midplane.
As the delamination location shifts towards the surface of the beam, the frequency
increases and in the limiting case (d; = 0.0) equals that of the integral beam for all cases
of size, boundary conditions and modes. It can also be seen that the effect of delamination
size on the frequency value is small when the delamination is located close to the surface
but is substantial when the delamination is located near the midplane.
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 451

0.3 0.4 0.5

4

Figure 6. Effect of thickness-wise location on the fundamental frequency of a clamped-clamped beam with
a central delamination. -, Constrained mode; - - -, free mode.

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

6

Figure 7. Effect of thickness-wise location on the fundamental frequency of a simply supported beam with
a central delamination.

Figure 6 also shows the variation with & of A computed by using the free mode model
of reference [5] in which it is assumed that there is no gap at the delamination. It can
be seen that the value of A obtained by the free mode analysis drops from a maximum
for midplane delamination to zero as the delamination location shifts towards the beam
surface. It is relevant to point out here that the mode shapes corresponding to these
frequencies violate compatibility as they produce overlaps of transverse deformation over
some parts of the cycle.
452 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

7.3 -

7.1

x 6.9 -

6.7

6.5

6.3

6.1

Figure 8. Effect of thickness-wise location on the frequency of the second mode of a clamped-clamped beam
with a central delamination.

When the delamination is near midplane the transverse deformation of the two delami-
nated layers as given by the free mode model are nearly equal and the overlapping of
the layers is small. Consequently, the frequencies given by the free mode model are not
very much in error. However, when the delamination is slender and near the surface the
overlapping between the layers is substantial. The only way the overlapping of the layers
can be eliminated from such mode shapes would be to assume that there is some gap at
the delamination. Even then, as pointed out in the earlier sections, the applicability of
the free mode model remains limited because the geometric stiffness produced by the
axial loads associated with differential stretching is also ignored in this model. Therefore
the frequencies given by the free mode model become valid only when the vibration
amplitudes are themselves very small, generally of the order of the thickness of the thinner
delaminated layer. Hence the free mode model is of limited significance in the analysis
of the dynamics of the delaminated beam as a whole.
The discussion so far has been limited to the case of a centrally located delamination.
Figures 9-12 show the effect of spanwise location of the delamination on the frequency
parameter for the first two modes for various sizes and typical boundary conditions. It
can be seen that the frequency values are significantly influenced by the spanwise location
of the delamination. The weakening effect of the delamination appears to become a
minimum for a specific spanwise location depending upon the boundary conditions and
the vibration mode. In the case of the clamped-clamped beam this location is at the
midspan for the first mode (Figure 9) and approximately around a, = O-3 for the second
mode (Figure 10). In the case of the cantilever beam A is a maximum for the first mode
(Figure 11) when the delamination is closest to the free edge; and for the second mode
(Figure 12) when the value of a, is about O-65. The figures also show that there is a
substantial drop in the frequency values even for small delaminations of the order of
20-30% of the span, as the spanwise location shifts away from the peak locations. For
a typical case such as that of a 30% delamination in the clamped-clamped beam of
Figure 9 the reduction in the first mode frequency (A’) could be-as high as 13.4% and
as low as 0.4%, depending upon the delamination location.
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 453

4.8 r

:I:: 7

4-5-

4.4-

4.3.

x 4.1. :; /
4.2 f

4-O
t

3.91
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 @4 ( i 0.6 0.7 Oa 0.9 I.0

Figure 9. Effect of spanwise location on the fundamental frequency of a clamped-clamped beam with an
off-midplane delamination (& = 0.333).

6.7 -

0.0 0-I 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

0,

Figure 10. Effect of spanwise loca$on on the frequency of the second mode of a clamped-clamped beam
with an off-midplane delamination (d, = 0.333).

The various trends observed above can be easily explained by considering the mechan-
isms by which the delamination affects the transverse behaviour of the beam. It was
pointed out in section 2 that the net effect of the delamination is a combination of two
effects: one is the reduction in the flexural rigidity over the delamination zone making
the beam an equivalent “stepped beam”, and the other is the additional bending stiffness
produced by the differential stretching of the delaminated layers, depending upon the
deformation of the beam. When the delamination zone of the beam is considered as a
single one dimensional element, the bending moment and shear force at any cross-section
454 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

192
Od 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 O-5 O-6 0.7 0.8 0.9 I-O
*c

Figure 11. Effect of spanwise location on the fundamental frequency of a cantilever beam with an off-midplane
delamination ( dz = 0.333).

3.9 I
3.8
o-o 0-I 0.2 0.3 04 O-5 0.6 0.7 0.8 04 I.0
*c
Figure 12. Effect of spanwise location on the frequency of the second mode of a cantilever beam with an
off-midplane delamination (I& = 0.333).

in the delamination region as given by the constrained mode can be expressed in a

dimensional form similar to equations (12) and (13) as

M = -E(I,+ I,) a2u2/a.$+

P,d/2, V= -E(I,+I,) a3u,/az:. (2L22)

The second term on the right side of equation (21), which represents the additional
moment produced by the differential stretching, can be obtained in a dimensional form
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 455

from equation (20) as

(23)

where
1, = (d&d/4) = I -(I,+ Zj), ~;~~~=(l/b)[u;(i~= b/21-u;(z,=-b/2)]. (24)
Here a prime represents the derivative with respect to Z, I,, is the reduction in the moment
of inertia caused by the delamination and ui,_ is the average curvature or rate of change
of the beam slope over the delamination region.
It is interesting to note that the effect of the applied shear force on the beam deformation
in the delamination zone is dependent only on the reduced moment of inertia ( I2 + I,),
whereas the effect of applied moment on the beam deformation is dependent both on
the reduced moment of inertia and on the differential stretching. The weakening effect
of the delamination therefore depends on the shear force distribution as well as on the
average curvature over the delamination region, which is a measure of the extent of
differential stretching.
In the case of beams with symmetric boundary conditions vibrating in the symmetric
modes, the curvature is a maximum and the shear force a minimum at midspan. Therefore
the weakening effect is a minimum for centrally located delaminations for this case. Figure
9 brings out this fact for the fundamental mode of a clamped-clamped beam. For the
antisymmetric modes of such symmetrically supported beams, it can be seen that the
curvature is zero (point of inflection) and the shear force a maximum at midspan.
Consequently, the weakening effect for the antisymmetric modes is a maximum for
centrally located delaminations. Figure 10 brings out this trend for the second mode of
a clamped-clamped beam. Further, it can also be seen that for small delaminations there
are two local maxima of the second mode frequency which correspond to the locations
of maximum curvature and minimum shear force.
In the case of the cantilever beam, unlike beams with symmetric boundary conditions,
the location of maximum bending moment (i.e., curvature) and maximum shear force
coincide at the root for the first mode. In such cases the weakening effect of the shear
force is the predominant one. Therefore, when the delamination is nearest the root the
frequency is the lowest as shown in Figure 11. In the case of the second mode of the
cantilever beam the above observation is again valid for delaminations close to the root
as shown in Figure 12. However, for this mode there is also a point of maximum frequency
corresponding to a point of maximum bending moment where the shear force is zero.
Figure 13(a) and (b) show the effect of delamination size on the frequencies of the
first two modes of vibration for various boundary conditions. Figure 13(a) shows that
the reduction in the frequency parameter for the first mode is negligible for small
delaminations of size up to 25% for all boundary conditions, and remains small for
delaminations up to 50% of the span. For larger sizes, the weakening effect of the
delamination is sensitive to the boundary conditions. The effect of the delamination on
the second mode frequency is generally much larger than that on the first mode frequency.
Further, it may also be noted that for the case of full delamination (6= 1.0) there is no
differential stretching produced in the clamped-clamped beam as the beam slopes are
zero at both the ends. Consequently, the frequency parameter becomes equal to that of
an equivalent “stepped beam” with moment of inertia equal to ( ZZ+ Z3) as the delamination
becomes full. This is also true for other beams with symmetric boundary conditions for
the antisymmetric modes.
Figure 13(a) and (b) also show the variation of the first two frequencies as given by
the free mode model. It can be seen that the free mode model generally gives values
456 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

(bl

1.4 -

3.6 -
\ ‘\
\
‘\
\
\
.\
58 1 1 1 1 J I 1 I I
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.6 I 00 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.6

Figure 13. Frequency parameter A versus delamination size 6 for the first two modes of a beam with a central
off-midplane delamination. (a) First mode; (b) second mode. -, Constrained mode; - - -, free mode.
(& = 0.333).

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.9 I.0

Figure 14. Mode shapes of the first two modes of vibration of a clamped-clamped beam with a central
off-midplane delamination. (a) First mode; (b) second mode. -, Integral beam; - - -, 6= 0.5, & = 0.3.
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 457

i
Figure 15. Mode shapes of the first two modes of vibration of a cantilever beam with a central off-midplane
delamination. (a) First mode; (b) second mode. -, Integral beam; - - -, b= 0.5, & = 0.3.

much lower than those given by the constrained mode model for delamination sizes
beyond 40% of the span when the delamination is located at one third the depth. It is
also relevant to mention here that the free mode model in general gives a number of
natural vibration modes around each of the constrained modes, with different mode
shapes representing different degrees of coupling between the delaminated layers and the
beam as a whole. Figure 13(b) shows abrupt changes in the variation of the second mode
frequency as obtained by using the free mode model, indicating that the deformation
modes corresponding to this frequency are different for different ranges of delamination
size.
Figures 14 and 15 show the normalized mode shapes of the first two modes of vibration
of a clamped-clamped and a cantilever beam with an off-midplane delamination. It can
be seen that the delamination has very little effect on the vibration mode shape in the
normalized form.

6. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Experimental values of frequencies for the first two modes of vibration of cantilever
beam specimen covering various combinations of delamination size and location are
presented in Tables 1 and 2. The corresponding theoretical values of frequencies calculated
by using the constrained mode and free mode models are also given. Table 1 gives the
results for the case of midplane delaminations for which the constrained mode and free
mode frequencies are identical. Therefore, they are indicated merely as theoretical frequen-
cies in Table 1. Table 2 gives results for a typical case of off-midplane delamination
( d2 = f) for which the constrained mode and free mode frequencies are given separately.
It can be seen from Table 1 that the experimental results match very well with the
theoretical predictions for both the modes of vibration, the errors being less than two
percent for most of the cases. There is a slight increase in the error as the beam span
reduces, as expected. However, for the beams with larger span the errors are mostly less
than I%, which shows an excellent correlation between actual and predicted frequencies.
It can be seen from Table 2 that, in the case of off-midplane delaminations, the
theoretical results given by the constrained mode model show, in general, very good
458 P. M. MUJUMDAR AND S. SURYANARAYAN

TABLE 1

Comparison between experimental and theoretical frequencies of cantilever beam with a

midplane delamination

Delamination First mode Second mode

Specimen parameters , \ r 7
Span b a, Experiment Theory Experiment Theory
No. (mm) (mm) (mm) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz)

1 200 0.0 - 33.7 33.90 209.9 212.53

2 250 14.0 145.5 21.8 22.04 136.2 138.10
3 250 44.0 151.0 21.8 21.88 136.4 137.14
4 250 61.5 149.0 21.8 21.86 135.9 137.01
5 250 73.5 154.0 21.3 21.44 132.2 133.57
6 200 42.0 96.0 33.2 33.63 208.7 211.34
7 200 85.0 107.5 32.0 32.38 205.1 207.49
8 200 14.0 95.5 34.1 34.46 213.4 215.99
9 200 44.0 101.0 33.8 34.07 214.0 214.66
10 200 61.5 99.0 33.7 33.75 213.1 213.44
11 200 73.5 104.0 32.9 32.87 207.9 209.68
12 180 73.5 84.0 40.1 40.00 247.4 248.65
13 175 14.0 70.5 45.0 44.97 281.0 281.61
14 175 61.5 74.0 42.8 43.47 261.4 263.69
15 170 44.0 71.0 46.1 46.81 285.0 289.28
16 165 73.5 69.0 46.1 46.69 274.2 273.29
17 150 14.0 45.5 59.7 61.14 376.3 381.99
18 150 61.5 49.0 55.0 57.72 299.5 306.35
19 130 14.0 25.5 79.0 81.41 496.8 507.05
20 130 44.0 31.0 74.9 78.34 376.6 406.68

agreement. It can also be seen that the frequencies calculated by the free mode model
show large errors for the second mode and are for most cases much lower than the
experimental frequencies. These experimental results substantiate the earlier discussions
and observations that the free mode model does not give a consistent description of the
vibration behaviour of delaminated beams as a whole.
One may also observe in Table 2 that the first mode frequencies given by the free mode
model are very close to those given by the constrained mode model and are, in general,
in good agreement with the experimental results. This is more due to the fact that the
difference between the free mode and constrained mode models is not strongly felt by
the first mode of the cantilever beam configuration for this case of thickness-wise location
of the delamination, as seen in Figure 13(a). However, for the other cases of boundary
conditions the free mode model gives noticeable errors even for the first mode, as also
shown in Figure 13(a). As the delamination moves closer to the beam surface the difference
between the frequencies given by the constrained mode and free mode models become
significant even for the cantilever beam configuration. However, constraints on the
realization of specimens with near-surface delaminations restricted the present experi-
mental study to the cases presented in Tables 1 and 2. The cantilever beam specimens
considered here for reasons of ease of experimentation bring out the inadequacy of the
free mode model in the second mode.
It may be further observed from Table 2 that for the specimen numbers 8, 18 and 22,
the experimental values of the second mode frequency, though lower than those of the
integral beam, are higher than the corresponding constrained mode frequencies. This
suggests that these specimens are stiffer than assumed in the constrained mode model.
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 459

TABLE 2

Comparison between experimental and theoretical frequencies of cantilever beam with an

oflmidplane delamination (& = 0.33)

First mode Second mode

Delamination
Specimen parameters ’ Constrained Free’ ’ Constrained Free‘
Span b a, Experiment mode mode Experiment mode mode
NO. (mm) (mm) (mm) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz)
-
1 240 153.5 96.0 31.6 32.37 32.26 172.1 176.46 159.86
2 220 152.5 76.0 36.5 36.95 36.93 180.0 184.49 164.70
.: 190 122.5 61.0 49.8 50.72 SO.71 245.3 245.96 231.77
4 160 92.5 46.0 72.2 73.79 73.78 350.3 351.23 342.26
5 250 104*0 148.0 31.7 31.99 31.98 190.5 200.67 198.74
6 220 104.0 118.0 40.4 40.62 40.61 247.9 258.62 251.85
7
200 104.0 98.0 47.6 48.25 48.24 294.2 301.99 288.14
x 170 104.0 68.0 61.9 63.67 63.65 378.4 351.8 326.30
9 250 133.0 163.5 31.7 31.89 31.89 189.2 191.17 186.95
10 225 133.0 138.5 38.2 38.53 38.50 233.7 236.85 119.97
11 200 133.0 113.5 46.6 47.12 47.06 289.5 294.23 241.05
12 175 133.0 88.5 56.9 58.06 57.97 339.3 346.35 248.96
13 155 133.0 68.5 67.2 68.71 68.57
14 250 122.0 156.0 31.5 31.70 31.69 193.4 194.91 191.33
15 225 122.0 131.0 38.2 38.43 38.41 240.0 241.67 279.28
_
16 200 122.0 106.0 46.6 47.21 47.18 291.0 297.06 260.88
17 175 122.0 81.0 57.3 58.63 58.58 328.9 342.88 ‘76.82
18 155 122.0 61.0 69.1 69.95 69.93 363.7 361.63 281.76
19 250 134.0 163.0 33.0 32.72 32.69 194.5 196.55 191.39
20 225 134.0 138.0 40-l 39.57 39.54 237.9 243.66 223.13
21 200 134.0 113.0 49.6 48.46 48.40 297.3 302.5 1 241.96
22 175 134.0 88.0 60.6 59.57 59.48 358.6 354.17 247.87

The reason for this additional stiffness can be identified by examining the basic mechanisms
that contribute to the weakening effect of the delamination in the constrained mode
analysis. In this model it is assumed that the two delaminated layers are free to slide over
each other and that there is no friction between them. However, when there is friction
there is an additional stiffness caused by the resistance introduced to shearing between
the layers. This additional stiffness becomes noticeable when the sliding between the
delaminated layers becomes large, which is in fact the case when the weakening effect
of the delamination is large. As pointed out earlier, this corresponds to the case of large
shear force distribution and small average curvature (differential stretching) at the delami-
nation. As can be seen in Figure 12 for the second mode of the delaminated cantilever
beam, the above is true as the delamination moves closer to the root. The configuration
of specimens 8, 18 and 22 corresponds to this case. The cause of the friction in these
specimens appears to be the small initial curvatures present in some of the individual
steel strips that were used to make the delaminated beam specimen. In such specimens
there was a natural tendency for the gap at the delamination to close, despite the small
thickness of the adhesive layer in the rest of the region.
It is relevant to point out here that in the evaluation of the experimental frequencies
as well as of the physical quantities used in the calculation of the analytical frequencies
from the frequency parameter values, elaborate care was taken to ensure that the best
possible accuracy of comparison of the two results could be achieved. As the specimen
was made up of a number of different layers, its equivalent flexural rigidity and mass
460 P. M.MUJUMDAR AND SSURYANARAYAN

had to be determined first in order to calculate its frequencies theoretically. This involved
detailed measurements of the dimensions of the individual steel strips, the adhesive layer
and the microscopic gap in the region of the simulated delamination whenever present
in the specimen. Separate vibration experiments on each of the steel strips were also
carried out to determine their mechanical properties. The equivalent properties of the
multi-layered beam were then calculated with account taken of the mechanical properties
of the individual steel strips and the measured dimensions of each layer as a separate
entity. The size and location of the delamination was determined by optical inspection
as well as by actual measurement of the adhesive layer profiles at the edges of the simulated
delamination, after breaking open the specimen. The small variations in these profiles
were also taken into account while determining the delamination size and location.
The experimental results on the vibrations of delaminated beams reported so far in the
literature are very few and are of very limited use as reference for the purpose of
comparison with theoretical results. The detailed experimental study reported in this
paper appears to be the first such study on the vibration of delaminated beams.

7. CONCLUSIONS

An analytical and experimental study of the vibration characteristics of beams with

delaminations has been presented in this paper. This study includes an analytical formula-
tion for the full cycle linear analysis of the vibration behaviour of beams with delamina-
tions. This formulation is applicable to the general case of an arbitrary through-width
delamination parallel to the beam surface located anywhere within the beam. A study of
the analytical models used earlier in the literature and of their deficiencies is also presented.
The numerical results presented bring out the effects of delamination size, of its spanwise
and thickness-wise location, of typical boundary conditions and of mode number on the
frequencies and mode shapes. These results show clearly that the effect of the delamination
on the frequencies depends not only on its size but is also very sensitive to its location,
and on the boundary conditions and the vibration mode. The results also bring out clearly
that the predominant factors governing the extent of weakening produced by the delamina-
tion are the magnitude of the shear force distribution and the average curvature of the
beam over the delamination zone. The good agreement between the analytical results and
the extensive experimental results for frequencies obtained from carefully carried out
experiments clearly shows that the constrained mode model proposed in this paper is a
simple and accurate linear model for describing the vibration behaviour of beams with
delaminations.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work presented in this paper forms a part of a Grant-in-Aid project sponsored
and funded by the Aeronautics Research and Development Roard (ARDB), Directorate
of Aeronautics, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Parts of the work reported
in this paper have been included in the project documents prepared for the Aeronautics
Research and Development Board and in presentations made at the 11th and 12th Annual
Symposia of the Structures Panel of the ARDB held at Nasik, India, 9-10 April 1985
and Allahabad, India, 16-18 April 1986.

REFERENCES
. P. M. MUJUMDAR and S.SURYANARAYAN 1987 Proceedings of the Symposium on Delamination
in Composites, Indian institute of Science, Bangalore, India, 19-20 March, 162-218. A review of
the studies on the stiffness controlled behaviour of composite laminates with delamination: Part
I-Vibration and Part II-Instability.
 VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH DELAMINATIONS 461

2. S. V. KULKARNI and D. FREDERICKS 1971 Journal of Composite Materials 5, 112-119.

Frequency as a parameter in delamination problem-A preliminary investigation.
3. S.V. KULKARNI,R.B.PIPES,R.L.RAMAKUMAR~~~W.R.SC~'I-T~~~~ ICCM-2, Proceedings
of the 1978 International Conference on Composite Materials, Toronto, Canada, 16-20 April,
259-276. The analytical, experimental and nondestructive evaluation of the criticality of an
interlaminar defect in a composite laminate.
4. R. L. RAMKUMAR, S. V. KULKARNI and R. B. PIPES 1979 34th Annual Technical Conference
Proceedings, Society of Plastics Industry Inc. Section 22-E, 1-5. Free vibration frequencies of a
delaminated beam.
5. J. T. S. WANG, Y. Y. LIU and J. B. GIBBY 1982 Journal ofSound and Vibration 84, 491-502.
Vibrations of split beams.
6. P. M. MUJUMDAR and S. SURYANARAYAN 1988 Advances in Aerospace Structures and Allied
Fields, Commemorative Volume to Honour Prof K. A. V. Pandalai on his 60th Birthday, Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras, India, February 16, 1988, 149-160. Nonlinear vibrations of
beams with delaminations.
7. P. M. MUJUMDAR and S. SURYANARAYAN 1987 Technical Report AE TR 87061, Department
qf Aeronautical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India, June 1987. A critical
review of the constrained mode of deformation of delaminated beams.
8. P. M. MUJUMDAR and S. SURYANARAYAN 1986 Technical Report AE TR 86011, Department
of Aeronautical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India, January 1986.
Vibrations of beams with delaminations.
9. P. M. MUJUMDAR and S. SURYANARAYAN 1988 Proceedings of the International Conjerence
on Composite Materials and Structures, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, January
6-9, 273-283. Buckling of beams with delaminations.

APPENDIX: NOMENCLATURE

area of cross-section of the integral segments, segment 2 and segment 3 respectively

arbitrary constants in the mode shape expression of the ith segment (equation (6))
delamination parameters (see Figure I)
= a/ L, c/L respectively
= a,./ L, dimensionless spanwise location of the delamination
= b/ L, dimensionless delamination size
thickness of the integral segments, segment 2 and segment 3 respectively
= d,/d, dimensionless thicknesswise location of the delamination
= d/ L, d,/ d respectively
Young’s modulus of elasticity
second moment of area of the integral segments, segment 2 and segment 3
respectively about their respective y axes
subscript representing each segment
beam span
bending moment in each segment
axial load in the segments of the delamination region (see Figure 3)
contact pressure distribution between the segments of the delamination region
time variable
transverse (x direction) displacement of the ith segment
=u,/d
shear force in the ith segment
axial displacement (z direction) of the midplane of segment 2 and segment 3
respectively
= w2/ d, w3/ d respectively
Cartesian co-ordinate system of the ith segment
=z,/L
mass density of beam material
radian frequency of vibration
dimensionless frequency parameters (equations (7))