Boundary element formulation for 2D solids with stiff and soft inclusions

In this work, a boundary element formulation is presented for analysing solids containing stiff and soft inclusions. A particular sub-region technique, in which the equilibrium is preserved along interfaces without traction approximation, is adapted to model zoned domain solids. An alternative formulation, in which tractions along interfaces are preserved as unknowns, eliminating therefore displacements, is also derived and applied for the analysis of inclusions in 2D solids. The performance of these chosen formulations is verified to check their ability of analysing complex problems. An example to verify the performance of the formulations to solve rigid and soft inclusions is analysed. The case of soft thin inclusions degenerating into crack is also studied.