Regularization of the boundary integrals in the bem analysis of 3D potential problems

Abstract

In the conventional boundary element analysis, near-singularities are present in the associated boundary integral equation for problems involving ultra-thin media. For this case, any conventional numerical schemes will fail to yield proper values for the integrals. In this paper, the boundary integrals of the boundary element method for 3D potential problems are fully regularized by the technique of integration by parts under the local coordinate system. The fully regularized integrands are expressed as very explicit formulations that can be easily programmed into a computer code. Numerical tests carried out for a typical case have verified the accuracy of the approach for any orders of small distance between the source and the element under integration. © 2013 The Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, R.O.C.