Abstract
This paper investigates the effectiveness of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes, SWNT, in improving the dynamic behavior of cracked Aluminium alloy, Al-alloy, beams by using a method based on changes in modal strain energy. Mechanical properties of composite materials are estimated by the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka method. The influence of SWNT volume fraction, SWNT aspect ratio, crack depth and crack location on the natural frequencies of the damaged 3D randomly oriented SWNT reinforced Al-alloy beams are examined. Results demonstrate the significant advantages of SWNT in reducing the effect of cracks on the natural frequencies of Al-alloy beams.