Boundary Element Methods for Engineers:

Part I: Potential Problems

Boundary Element Analysis of Potential Problems

which is now a truly boundary integral equation. The first term in this equation, which does not involve
integration, is referred to as the free term. If boundary point P is not on a smooth part of the boundary
but at a corner such as that shown in Figure 2.3b, then the free term becomes (), where is the angle
between the tangents at the corner measured through the domain. In practice, the precise magnitude of
the constant in the free term is not important because it can be found in another way.
Equation 2.27 is the boundary integral equation for point P as the source point of the fundamental
solution. To improve the clarity of what it means it can be written as
() + )(

d (,)
d ()

d() = ( , ) d() (2.28)

d

Point is on the boundary and moves around the boundary as the integration with respect to S, the
distance along the boundary, proceeds. Function (, ) is the fundamental solution for field point
due to a source point at P, and is the direction of the normal to the boundary at the field point. At

any point either the value of or its normal gradient will be known from the boundary conditions
of the particular problem (or there will be a known linear relationship between them). Care will have
to be taken when passes through P during the integration, because there the fundamental solution
is not defined.

2.3

Discretisation of the Boundary Integral Equation

In general, Equation 2.28 cannot be solved analytically, and some form of numerical method must be
employed. Solution variable is found not as a continuous algebraic function of position along the
boundary, but as numerical values at a finite number of discrete points on the boundary. The boundary
may be subdivided into small pieces or boundary elements. Associated with each element are one or
more of these points, known as nodes or nodal points. The distributions of and its normal gradient
over the elements are defined in terms of nodal point values by suitable interpolation functions. For
example, the simplest type of boundary element is the constant element, having a single node at its centre
and over which the variables are assumed to be constant. Next comes the linear element with a node at
each end and assumed linear variations between them. Then the quadratic element with an additional
node at its centre and assumed quadratic variations between the three nodes.
Whichever type of boundary element is used, boundary integral Equation 2.28 is applied to each of the
nodal points P in turn, in the discretised form

=1

=1

d
d
1
1
d() = ln
d()(2.29)
() + ()
ln
d()
(, )
(, ) d

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