Results of an implementation of the dual surface method to treat the non-uniqueness in solving acoustic exterior problems using the boundary element method

Abstract

The problem of non-uniqueness (NU) of the solution of exterior acoustic problems when using the boundary element method (BEM) is well known. Methods like the Burton-Miller technique or the CHIEF method are used to solve this challenge at the expense of more complex procedures for handling hypersingular integrals and/or higher computing times due to higher complexity of the algorithm or additional equations. The dual surface method, commonly used for electromagnetic problems, was adapted for acoustic radiation and scattering problems. The basic principles of methods to solve the NU problem are outlined and results for different models and solution procedures are presented, taking into account quality, solution time and the numerical advantages when using iterative solvers. © 2013 Acoustical Society of America.