Boundary element methods in three-dimensional thermoelasticity

A boundary element method is developed for the solution of time-dependent problems in three-dimensional thermoelasticity. The time domain, boundary-only formulation represents the first of its kind for quasistatic analysis, which by definition considers transient heat conduction, but ignores the effects of inertia. By eliminating the need for volume discretization, the method becomes an attractive alternative to finite element analysis for this class of problems. Additionally, because an exact Green's function is used in the interior, steep thermal gradients can be captured much more readily than with standard domain-based methods. The presentation includes details of the fundamental solution, a derivation of the boundary integral equations, and an overview of a general purpose numerical implementation. This implementation permits the solution of large, multiregion problems with arbitrary geometry and boundary conditions. Several examples are included to validate the proposed method, as well as to highlight its usefulness.