International Journal of Computational Engineering Science, Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 863-891, 2004
Special issue on "Modeling of Functionally Graded Materials"
N.A. Dumont1, R.A.P. Chaves1 and G.H. Paulino2
1Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Pontificia Universidada Catolica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC-Rio, 22453-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Newmark Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, IL 61801, U.S.A.
Abstract
Since the introduction of the hybrid boundary element method in 1987, it has been applied to various problems of elasticity and potential theory, including time-dependent problems. This paper focuses on establishing the conceptual framework for applying both the variational formulation and a simplified version of the hybrid boundary element method to nonhomogenous materials. Several classes of fundamental solutions for problems of potential are derived. Thus, the boundary-only feature of the method is preserved even with a spacially varying material property. Several numerical examples are given in terms of an efficient patch test including irrigularly bounded, unbounded, and multiply connected regions submitted to high gradients.