Application of the fundamental solutions by Ganowicz in a static analysis of Reissner's plates by the boundary element method

In this paper the direct non-singular formulation of the boundary element method using the fundamental solutions given by Ganowicz (1966) [6] and its application to a static analysis of plates with intermediate thickness is presented. A more exact calculation of almost singular integrals is possible, thanks to the applied modification of the Gauss integration procedure with the inversed distribution of integration points. The non-singular method is based on an offset of collocation points from a plate boundary. The accuracy of results depends on this offset, so the analysis of a relation between the distance of the collocation point from the plate and the conditioning of the matrix of integral equations is carried out. The optimal distance equal to 0.01 of the boundary element length was determined. The presented approach allows to carry out the static analysis of plates with arbitrary shapes including plates with holes. Solution of thin plates is also possible. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.