The International Conference on Boundary Element Methods in Engineering was started in 1978 with the following objectives: i) To act as a focus for BE research at a time when the technique wasjust emerging as a powerful tool for engineering analysis. ii) To attract new as weIl as established researchers on Boundary Elements, in order to maintain its vitality and originality. iii) To try to relate the Boundary Element Method to other engineering techniques in an effort to help unify the field of engineering analysis, rather than to contribute to its fragmentation. These objectives were achieved during the last 7 conferences and this meeting - the eighth - has continued to be as innovative and dynamic as any ofthe previous conferences. Another important aim ofthe conference is to encourage the participation of researchers from as many different countries as possible and in this regard it is a policy of the organizers to hold the conference in different locations. It is easy to forget when working on scientific projects that in science as weIl as in other subjects, human relationships are as important as mathematical equations. Science progresses not only as a resuIt oflaboratory and computer experiments or abstract thinking but also by a process of personal interaction.

This volume contains papers from the World Conference on Boundary Elements and other Mesh Reduction Methods, an internationally recognized forum for the dissemination of the latest advances on Mesh Reduction Techniques and their applications in sciences and engineering. The book publishes articles dealing with computational issues and software developments in addition to those of a more theoretical nature. Engineers and scientists within the areas of numerical analysis, boundary elements and meshless methods will find the text invaluable. Topics include: Advances in Mesh Reduction Methods; Meshless Techniques; Advanced Formulations; Dual Reciprocity Method; Modified Trefftz Method; Fundamental Solution Method; Damage Mechanics and Fracture; Advanced Structural Applications; Dynamics and Vibrations; Material Characterization; Acoustics; Electrical Engineering and Electromagnetics; Heat and Mass Transfer; Fluid Mechanics Problems; Wave Propagation; Inverse Problems and Computational Techniques.

This book presents a new formulation of the boundary element method for two-dimensional and axisymmetric contact problems. The solution procedure includes the effects of non-frictional as well as frictional contact between elastic bodies. Following a literature survey of various experimental and analytical approaches for solving elastic contact problems, a comprehensive review of numerical techniques used for analyses of contact problems is presented. The boundary element formulations for two-, three-dimensional and axisymmetric problems in elasticity are derived and numerical implementation using constant and linear elements is described. For analysis of contact problems, boundary elements are employed to compute flexibility matrices representing the relationship between tractions and displacements only at nodes coming into contact. The contact analysis is performed using the flexibility matrices in conjunction with contact boundary conditions. In this approach, only equations corresponding to the node coming into contact are required and consequently very efficient computation is achieved. Furthermore, the boundary element analysis and the contact analysis are performed separately, which makes it easy to implement the contact analysis procedure into boundary element codes. A new contact criterion for nodes coming into contact is proposed. Load incremental and iterative schemes are used to obtain accurate solutions. Some classical Hertz and non-Hertz contact problems are studied and results are found to be in good agreement with analytical and other numerical solutions.

The boundary element method (BEM) is now a well-established numerical technique which provides an efficient alternative to the prevailing finite difference and finite element methods for the solution of a wide range of engineering problems. The main advantage of the BEM is its unique ability to provide a complete problem solution in terms of boundary values only, with substantial savings in computer time and data preparation effort. An initial restriction of the BEM was that the fundamental solution to the original partial differential equation was required in order to obtain an equivalent boundary in tegral equation. Another was that non-homogeneous terms accounting for effects such as distributed loads were included in the formulation by means of domain integrals, thus making the technique lose the attraction of its "boundary-only" character. Many different approaches have been developed to overcome these problems. It is our opinion that the most successful so far is the dual reciprocity method (DRM), which is the subject matter of this book. The basic idea behind this approach is to employ a fundamental solution corresponding to a simpler equation and to treat the remaining terms, as well as other non-homogeneous terms in the original equation, through a procedure which involves a series expansion using global approximating functions and the application of reciprocity principles.

This best-selling text provides a simple introduction to the Boundary Element Method. Based on the authors' long teaching experience it is designed to convey in the most effective manner the fundamentals of the method. The book is presented in a way which makes it accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students as well as to practising engineers who want to learn the foundations of the technique. Of particular interest is the way in which Boundary Element concepts are introduced and immediately applied in simple, but useful, computer codes to facilitate understanding. A CD with the complete listing of program codes in Fortran is also included.

The aim of this book is to provide a new angle on the analysis of slope stability with the Boundary Element Method. The main advantages of BEM are the reduction of the dimensionality of the problem to be solved and accurate selective calculation of internal stresses. This makes it possible, as shown in the book, to develop the algorithms of slip surface analysis of slope more accurate, more rigorous and more easy to be used than in the conventional limit equilibrium methods. The full elastoplastic analysis of slope is also investigated. Besides, the interested reader can find a detailed study of Melan's fundamental solution such as its displacements, its corresponding Galerkin tensor and the treatment of body forces in the half-plan. The basic theory of BEM is outlined in the book so that undergraduate and graduate students of civil engineering, mining engineering and engineering geology can read it without difficulty.

to Boundary Elements Theory and Applications With 194 Figures Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York London Paris Tokyo Hong Kong Dr.-Ing. Friedel Hartmann University of Dortmund Department of Civil Engineering 4600 Dortmund 50 FRG ISBN-13: 978-3-642-48875-7 e-ISBN-13: 978-3-642-48873-3 001: 10.1007/978-3-642-48873-3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hartmann, F. (Friedel) Introduction to boundary elements: theory and applications/Friedel Hartmann. ISBN-13: 978-3-642-48875-7 1. Boundary value problems. I. Title. TA347.B69H371989 515.3'5--dc19 89-4160 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is only permitted under the provision of the German Copyright Law of September 9,1965, in its version of June 24,1985, and a copyright fee must always be paid. Violations fall under the prosecution act of the German Copyright Law. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1989 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1989 The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.