This series has been developed in response to the interest shown in boundary ele ments by scientists and engineers. Whilst Volume I was dedicated to basic principles and applications, this book is concerned with the state of the art in the solution of time-dependent problems. Since papers have recently been published on this im portant topic it is time to produce a work ofa morepermanent nature. The volume begins with a chapter on the Fundamentals of Boundary Integral Equation Methods in Elastodynamics. After reviewing the basic equations of elasto dynamics, the wave equation and dynamic reciprocal theorems are stated and the direct and indirect boundary element formulations are presented. Eigenvalue problems are discussed together with the case of the Fourier transformations. Several applications illustrate the etfectiveness ofthe technique for engineering. Chapter 2 examines some ofthe various boundary integral equation formulations available for elastodynamic problems. In particular the displacement-traction for mulation is compared with the displacement-potential case. The special character istics ofthe elastodynamics fundamental solutions are discussed in detail and a criti cal comparison with the elastostatics case is presented. While the chapter is not meant to be a complete review of the work in the field, the original presentation of the problern and the suggestions for further work make an important contribu tion to the development ofthe method.

The book provides a survey of numerical methods for acoustics, namely the finite element method (FEM) and the boundary element method (BEM). It is the first book summarizing FEM and BEM (and optimization) for acoustics. The book shows that both methods can be effectively used for many other cases, FEM even for open domains and BEM for closed ones. Emphasis of the book is put on numerical aspects and on treatment of the exterior problem in acoustics, i.e. noise radiation.

The contributions to this volume examine: geotechnical hazard acknowledging the deversity of local ground conditions and environmental factors which play a decisive role in designing engineering structures in Danubian countries.

The editors have published a select group of full length papers on boundary element analysis (BEA) photographed from camera ready manuscripts. The articles have been prepared by some of the most distinguished and prolific individuals in this field. More than half of these articles have been submitted by authors that participated in an International Forum on Boundary Element Methods, in Melbourne Australia, in the Summer of 1991. However, this volume is not a conference proceedings, as these authors have expanded their accounts to chapter length, and/or have tailored their expositions more toward the style employed in archival journal publications. The authors that did not participate in the International Forum have also adhered to the above mentioned philosophy. This work contains a definitive representation of the significant capabilities and applications currently available or under investigation that fall under the general category of advanced boundary element analysis. With treatments of mechanical, thermal, fluid, and electromagnetic phenomena, this book should thus be of value to graduate students, practitioners, and researchers in engineering, mathematics, and the physical sciences wishing to obtain a broader perspective or remain current in these important areas of computational simulation.

This volume, dedicated to Professor Dimitri Beskos, contains contributions from leading researchers in Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere, and addresses the needs of the computational mechanics research community in terms of timely information on boundary integral equation-based methods and techniques applied to a variety of fields. The contributors are well-known scientists, who also happen to be friends, collaborators as past students of Dimitri Beskos. Dimitri is one the BEM pioneers who started his career at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA, in the 1970s and is now with the University of Patras in Patras, Greece. The book is essentially a collection of both original and review articles on contemporary Boundary Element Methods (BEM) as well as on the newer Mesh Reduction Methods (MRM), covering a variety of research topics. Close to forty contributions compose an over-500 page volume that is rich in detail and wide in terms of breadth of coverage of the subject of integral equation formulations and solutions in both solid and fluid mechanics.

Over the past decades, the Boundary Element Method has emerged as a ver satile and powerful tool for the solution of engineering problems, presenting in many cases an alternative to the more widely used Finite Element Method. As with any numerical method, the engineer or scientist who applies it to a practical problem needs to be acquainted with, and understand, its basic principles to be able to apply it correctly and be aware of its limitations. It is with this intention that we have endeavoured to write this book: to give the student or practitioner an easy-to-understand introductory course to the method so as to enable him or her to apply it judiciously. As the title suggests, this book not only serves as an introductory course, but also cov ers some advanced topics that we consider important for the researcher who needs to be up-to-date with new developments. This book is the result of our teaching experiences with the Boundary Element Method, along with research and consulting activities carried out in the field. Its roots lie in a graduate course on the Boundary Element Method given by the authors at the university of Stuttgart. The experiences gained from teaching and the remarks and questions of the students have contributed to shaping the 'Introductory course' (Chapters 1-8) to the needs of the stu dents without assuming a background in numerical methods in general or the Boundary Element Method in particular.

This series has been developed in response to the interest shown in boundary ele ments by scientists and engineers. Whilst Volume 1 was dedicated to basic principles and applications, this book is concerned with the state of the art in the solution of time-dependent problems. Since papers have recently been published on this im portant topic it is time to produce a work of a more permanent nature. The volume begins with a chapter on the Fundamentals of Boundary Integral Equation Methods in Elastodynamics. After reviewing the basic equations of elasto dynamics, the wave equation and dynamic reciprocal theorems are stated and the direct and indirect boundary element formulations are presented. Eigenvalue problems are discussed together with the case of the Fourier transformations. Several applications illustrate the effectiveness of the technique for engineering. Chapter 2 examines some of the various boundary integral equation formulations available for elastodynamic problems. In particular the displacement-traction for mulation is compared with the displacement-potential case. The special character istics of the elastodynamics fundamental solutions are discussed in detail and a criti cal comparison with the elastostatics case is presented. While the chapter is not meant to be a complete review of the work in the field, the original presentation of the problem and the suggestions for further work make an important contribu tion to the development of the method.