A boundary element-free method (BEFM) for three-dimensional elasticity problems

This study combines the boundary integral equation (BIE) method and improved moving least-squares (IMLS) approximation to present a direct meshless boundary integral equation method, the boundary element-free method (BEFM) for three-dimensional elasticity. Based on the improved moving least-squares approximation and the boundary integral equation for three-dimensional elasticity, the formulae of the boundary element-free method are given, and the numerical procedure is also shown. Unlike other meshless boundary integral equation methods, the BEFM is a direct numerical method in which the basic unknown quantity is the real solution of the nodal variables, and the boundary conditions can be applied directly and easily, thus giving it a greater computational precision. Three selected numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the method.