Modern finite element analysis has grown into a basic mathematical tool for almost every field of engineering and the applied sciences. This introductory textbook fills a gap in the literature, offering a concise, integrated presentation of methods, applications, software tools, and hands-on projects. Included are numerous exercises, problems, and Mathematica/Matlab-based programming projects. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary applications to serve a broad audience of advanced undergraduate/graduate students with different backgrounds in applied mathematics, engineering, physics/geophysics. The work may also serve as a self-study reference for researchers and practitioners seeking a quick introduction to the subject for their research.

The author's ambition for this publication was to make BEM accessible to the student as well as to the professional engineer. For this reason, his maintask was to organize and present the material in such a way so that the book becomes "user-friendly" and easy to comprehend, taking into account only the mathematics and mechanics to which students have been exposed during their undergraduate studies. This effort led to an innovative, in many aspects, way of presentingBEM, including the derivation of fundamental solutions, the integral representation of the solutions and the boundary integral equations for various governing differentialequations in a simple way minimizing a recourse to mathematics with which the student is not familiar. The indicial and tensorial notations, though they facilitate the author's work and allow to borrow ready to use expressions from the literature, have been avoided in the present book. Nevertheless, all the necessary preliminary mathematical concepts have been included in order to make the book complete and self-sufficient.Throughout the book, every concept is followed by example problems, which have been worked out in detail and with all the necessary clarifications. Furthermore, each chapter of the book is enriched with problems-to-solve. These problems serve a threefold purpose. Some of them are simple and aim at applying and better understanding the presented theory, some others are more difficult and aim at extending the theory to special cases requiring a deeper understanding of the concepts, and others are small projects which serve the purpose of familiarizing the student with BEM programming and the programs contained in the CD-ROM.The latter class of problems is very important as it helps students to comprehend the usefulness and effectiveness of the method by solving real-life engineering problems. Through these problems students realize that the BEM is a powerful computational tool and not an alternative theoretical approach for dealing with physical problems. My experience in teaching BEM shows that this is the students' most favorite type of problems. They are delighted to solve them, since they integrate their knowledge and make them feel confident in mastering BEM.The CD-ROM which accompanies the book contains the source codes of all the computer programs developed in the book, so that the student or the engineer can use them for the solution of a broad class of problems. Among them are general potential problems, problems of torsion, thermal conductivity,deflection of membranes and plates, flow of incompressible fluids, flow through porous media, in isotropic or anisotropic, homogeneous or composite bodies, as well as plane elastostatic problems in simply or multiply connected domains. As one can readily find out from the variety of the applications, the book is useful for engineers of all disciplines. The author is hopeful that the present book will introduce the reader to BEM in an easy, smooth and pleasant way and also contribute to itsdissemination as a modern robust computational tool for solving engineering problems.

Providing an easy introduction to the boundary element method, this book is ideal for any reader wishing to work in this field or use this method for the solution of engineering problems. From the beginning, the emphasis is on the implementation of the method into computer programs which can be used to solve real problems. The book covers two-andthree-dimensional linear and non-linear analysis in potential flow (heat flow and seepage) and static elasticity. Several computer programs are listed in the book and may be downloaded free of charge via the Internet. They include programs and subroutines for: * 2-D analysis of potential problems using the Trefftz method * 2-D and 3-D linear analysis of potential and static elasticity problems using isoparametric elements (single and multiple regions) * implementation of non-linear problems * coupling to finite elements The programs (written in FORTRAN 90) are well documented, and can be employed by the user to gain experience with the method through the solution of small test examples. Furthermore, readers may use them as a starting point for developing their own boundary element package. In addition, exercises are included in most chapters involving the use of the programs with answers given in an Appendix, and a number of interesting industrial applications in the areas of mechanical, civil and geotechnical engineering are presented.

The Boundary Element Method for Engineers and Scientists: Theory and Applications is a detailed introduction to the principles and use of boundary element method (BEM), enabling this versatile and powerful computational tool to be employed for engineering analysis and design. In this book, Dr. Katsikadelis presents the underlying principles and explains how the BEM equations are formed and numerically solved using only the mathematics and mechanics to which readers will have been exposed during undergraduate studies. All concepts are illustrated with worked examples and problems, helping to put theory into practice and to familiarize the reader with BEM programming through the use of code and programs listed in the book and also available in electronic form on the book's companion website. - Offers an accessible guide to BEM principles and numerical implementation, with worked examples and detailed discussion of practical applications - This second edition features three new chapters, including coverage of the dual reciprocity method (DRM) and analog equation method (AEM), with their application to complicated problems, including time dependent and non-linear problems, as well as problems described by fractional differential equations - Companion website includes source code of all computer programs developed in the book for the solution of a broad range of real-life engineering problems

This introductory course on the classical Boundary Element Method also contains advanced topics such as the Dual Reciprocity and the Hybrid Boundary Element Methods. The latter methods are extensions that permit the application of BME to anisotropic materials, as well as multi-field problems and fluid-structure interaction. The class-tested textbook offers a clear and easy-to-understand introduction to the subject, including worked-out examples that describe all the basic features of the method. The first two chapters not only establish the mathematical basis for BEM but also review the basics of continuum mechanics for field problems, perhaps a unique feature for a text on numerical methods. This helps the reader to understand the physical principles of the field problems, to apply the method judiciously, and toe critically evaluate the results.

Uses simple engineering terms to describe which types of problems can best be solved with each method, combining the two and the applications for which this might be suitable. Features a chapter devoted to the construction of finite and boundary element meshes, error analysis and confidence criteria. Contains a slew of practical applications.