Analytical treatment of boundary integrals in direct boundary element analysis of plate bending problems

Abstract

AbstractA direct‐type Boundary Element Method (BEM) for the analysis of simply supported and built‐in plates is employed. The integral equations due to a combined biharmonic and harmonic governing equations are first established. The boundary integrals developed are then evaluated analytically. The domain integrals due to external body forces are also transformed over the boundary and subsequently evaluated analytically. Thus, it needs only the boundary to be discretized. Without loss of generality, the exact expression for the integrals would enhance the solution accuracy of the BEM. This is due to the fact that at locations where the fundamental solutions approach their singular points the value determined by numerical quadrature may be inconsistent and inaccurate. Also, another major advantage of the exact expressions for integrations is the insensitivity to the geometrical location of the source point on the boundary. The distribution of boundary quantities is approximated either over linear or quadratic boundary elements. General type of plate bending problems, with plates of different geometrical shapes supported simply or fixed can be handled. Loading may be applied point concentrated, uniformly distributed within the domain or over the boundary. Also, hydrostatic pressure can be applied. The results obtained by BEM in comparison with those obtained by analytical or other approximate solutions are found to be very accurate and the solution method is efficient.