Modal Analysis for Detection of Crack Location of Structures Tang Xiaobing Chen Dingfang Shen ChengwuA modal strain energy method to identify crack location in a structure is reported. In the method the structural nat- ural frequencies are used to detect the crack position. The influence of different element discretization and different modes to the crack detection is discussed. The modal strain energy versus the elements and the variations of eigenfrequencies for different crack positions and strain modes are compared. An experimental cantilever beam example shows that the method can detect crack loca- tion with satisfactory precision.crack loeation; detection; natural frequency; modal strain energy