Since its origin in 1978, the International Conference on Boundary Element Methods has provided the recognized and established forum for innovations in boundary element research. Practically all new ideas on boundary ele ments have been presented at these conferences and the resulting papers can be found in the published books. The conference brings together the most renowned scientists and engineers working on boundary element research throughout the world. A unique feature of these meetings is that the participation of younger researchers is actively encouraged by the organizers in an effort to .bring forward to the attention of the international community an ever expanding range of new ideas. This book contains the edited version of the papers presented at the XIIIth BEM Conference held in Tulsa, Oklahoma in August of 1991. The meeting attracted a large number of participants and many excellent contributions which have been divided into nineteen different sections, i.e. Potential Prob lems; Diffusion and Convection Problems; Fluid Mechanics; Fluid Flow; Wave Propagation; Groundwater Flow; Heat Transfer; Electrical Problems; Geomechanics; Plates and Shells; Inelastic Problems; Damage Tolerance; Contact Mechanics; Industrial Applications; Design Sensitivity and Opti mization; Inverse Problems; Special Techniques; Numerical Aspects and Computational Aspects.

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.

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.

VI SOCRATES: I think that we ought to stress that we will write only about things that we have first hand experience in, in a coherent way that will be useful to engineers and other scientists and stressing the formulation without being too mathematical. We should write with integrity and honesty, giving reference to other authors where reference is due, but avoiding mentioning everybody just to be certain that our book is widely advertised. Above all, the book should be clear and useful. PLATO: I think we should include a good discussion of fundamental ideas, of how integral equations are formed, pointing out that they are like two dimensional shadows of three dimensional objects, ... SOCRATES: Stop there! Remember you are not 'the' Plato! PLATO: Sorry, I was carried away. ARISTOTLE: I think that the book should have many applications so that the reader can learn by looking at them how to use the method. SOCRATES: I agree. But we should be careful. It is easy to include many illustra tions and examples in a book in order to disguise its meagre contents. All examples should be relevant. ARISTOTLE: And we should also include a full computer program to give the reader if so he wishes, a working experience of the technique.

A reference for those who need to acquire detailed knowledge of the formulation, implementation, and practical applications of BEM in dynamics. The author presents research on BEM in dynamics of continua. The main emphasis is on the development of the different boundary element formulations.

The boundary-element method is a powerful numerical technique for solving partial differential equations encountered in applied mathematics, science, and engineering. The strength of the method derives from its ability to solve with notable efficiency problems in domains with complex and possibly evolving geometry where traditional methods can be d