Symmetric Galerkin Boundary Element Method presents an introduction as well as recent developments of this accurate, powerful, and versatile method. The formulation possesses the attractive feature of producing a symmetric coefficient matrix. In addition, the Galerkin approximation allows standard continuous elements to be used for evaluation of hypersingular integrals. FEATURES • Written in a form suitable for a graduate level textbook as well as a self-learning tutorial in the field. • Covers applications in two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems of potential theory and elasticity. Additional basic topics involve axisymmetry, multi-zone and interface formulations. More advanced topics include fluid flow (wave breaking over a sloping beach), non-homogeneous media, functionally graded materials (FGMs), anisotropic elasticity, error estimation, adaptivity, and fracture mechanics. • Presents integral equations as a basis for the formulation of general symmetric Galerkin boundary element methods and their corresponding numerical implementation. • Designed to convey effective unified procedures for the treatment of singular and hypersingular integrals that naturally arise in the method. Symbolic codes using Maple® for singular-type integrations are provided and discussed in detail. • The user-friendly adaptive computer code BEAN (Boundary Element ANalysis), fully written in Matlab®, is available as a companion to the text. The complete source code, including the graphical user-interface (GUI), can be downloaded from the web site http://www.ghpaulino.com/SGBEM_book. The source code can be used as the basis for building new applications, and should also function as an effective teaching tool. To facilitate the use of BEAN, a video tutorial and a library of practical examples are provided.

The boundary element method is an extremely versatile and powerful tool of computational mechanics which has already become a popular alternative to the well established finite element method. This book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date treatise on the boundary element method (BEM) in its applications to various fields of continuum mechanics such as: elastostatics, elastodynamics, thermoelasticity, micropolar elasticity, elastoplasticity, viscoelasticity, theory of plates and stress analysis by hybrid methods. The fundamental solution of governing differential equations, integral representations of the displacement and temperature fields, regularized integral representations of the stress field and heat flux, boundary integral equations and boundary integro-differential equations are derived. Besides the mathematical foundations of the boundary integral method, the book deals with practical applications of this method. Most of the applications concentrate mainly on the computational problems of fracture mechanics. The method has been found to be very efficient in stress-intensity factor computations. Also included are developments made by the authors in the boundary integral formulation of thermoelasticity, micropolar elasticity, viscoelasticity, plate theory, hybrid method in elasticity and solution of crack problems. The solution of boundary-value problems of thermoelasticity and micropolar thermoelasticity is formulated for the first time as the solution of pure boundary problems. A new unified formulation of general crack problems is presented by integro-differential equations.

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.

Boundary Element Analysis: Theory and Programming introduces the theory behind the boundary element method and its computer applications. The author uses Cartesian tensor notation throughout the book and includes the steps involved in deriving many of the equations. The text includes computer programs in Fortran 77 for elastostatic, plate bending, and free and forced vibration problems with detailed descriptions of the code.

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.

Heat transfer problems in industry are usually of a very complex nature, simultaneously involving different transfer modes such as conduction, convection, radiation and others. Because of this, very few problems can be solved analytically and one generally has to resort to numerical analysis. The boundary element method is a numerical technique which has been receiving growing attention for solving heat transfer problems because of its unique ability to confine the discretization process to the boundaries of the problem region. This allows major reductions in the data preparation and computer effort necessary to solve complex industrial problems. The purpose of this book is to present efficient algorithms used in conjunction with the boundary element method for the solution of steady and transient, linear and non-linear heat transfer problems. It represents the state-of-the-art of boundary element applications in the field of heat transfer, and constitutes essential reading for researchers and practising engineers involved with this important topic.

This thorough yet understandable introduction to the boundary element method presents an attractive alternative to the finite element method. It not only explains the theory but also presents the implementation of the theory into computer code, the code in FORTRAN 95 can be freely downloaded. The book also addresses the issue of efficiently using parallel processing hardware in order to considerably speed up the computations for large systems. The applications range from problems of heat and fluid flow to static and dynamic elasto-plastic problems in continuum mechanics.