Abstract
In this study, the inverse problem of the three-dimensional semi-elliptical surface crack in a finite plate is treated. The unknown parameters, crack location, crack dimensions and loading stress, are determined by the gradient search based on the strain information around the crack. In order to get the solution with short CPU time, the direct analysis of strain is performed by using the cracked model of semi-infinite body instead of the finite plate model. In this approximate calculation, the crack location and loading stress are obtained accurately when the plate sizes are widely changed. To obtain the accurate crack size, the effective position of measuring point for strain is investigated.
