Burton–Miller-type singular boundary method for acoustic radiation and scattering

This paper proposes the singular boundary method (SBM) in conjunction with Burton and Miller?s formulation for acoustic radiation and scattering. The SBM is a strong-form collocation boundary discretization technique using the singular fundamental solutions, which is mathematically simple, easy-to-program, meshless and introduces the concept of source intensity factors (SIFs) to eliminate the singularities of the fundamental solutions. Therefore, it avoids singular numerical integrals in the boundary element method (BEM) and circumvents the troublesome placement of the fictitious boundary in the method of fundamental solutions (MFS). In the present method, we derive the SIFs of exterior Helmholtz equation by means of the SIFs of exterior Laplace equation owing to the same order of singularities between the Laplace and Helmholtz fundamental solutions. In conjunction with the Burton–Miller formulation, the SBM enhances the quality of the solution, particularly in the vicinity of the corresponding interior eigenfrequencies. Numerical illustrations demonstrate efficiency and accuracy of the present scheme on some benchmark examples under 2D and 3D unbounded domains in comparison with the analytical solutions, the boundary element solutions and Dirichlet-to-Neumann finite element solutions.     

An Improved Formulation of Singular Boundary Method

This study proposes a new formulation of singular boundary method (SBM) to solve the 2D potential problems, while retaining its original merits being free of integration and mesh, easy-to-program, accurate and mathematically simple without the requirement of a fictitious boundary as in the method of fundamental solutions (MFS). The key idea of the SBM is to introduce the concept of the origin intensity factor to isolate the singularity of fundamental solution so that the source points can be placed directly on the physical boundary. This paper presents a new approach to derive the analytical solution of the origin intensity factor based on the proposed subtracting and adding-back techniques. And the troublesome sample nodes in the ordinary SBM are avoided and the sample solution is also not necessary for the Neumann boundary condition. Three benchmark problems are tested to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the new formulation through detailed comparisons with the boundary element method (BEM), MFS, regularized meshless method (RMM) and boundary distributed source (BDS) method.     

Solution of Two-Dimensional Stokes Flow Problems Using Improved Singular Boundary Method

In this paper, an improved singular boundary method (SBM), viewed as one kind of modified method of fundamental solution (MFS), is firstly applied for the numerical analysis of two-dimensional (2D) Stokes flow problems. The key issue of the SBM is the determination of the origin intensity factor used to remove the singularity of the fundamental solution and its derivatives. The new contribution of this study is that the origin intensity factors for the velocity, traction and pressure are derived, and based on that, the SBM formulations for 2D Stokes flow problems are presented. Several examples are provided to verify the correctness and robustness of the presented method. The numerical results clearly demonstrate the potentials of the present SBM for solving 2D Stokes flow problems.     

Burton-Miller改进型边界方程的多频计算方法

提出了一种采用Burton-Miller改进型边界积分方程进行多频计算的方法。将Burton-Miller方程中的高奇异积分转化为弱奇异积分形式,获得Burton-Miller改进型边界积分方程;将方程中格林函数进行Taylor级数展开,并把波数从方程中分离出来,从而使随波数变化的计算矩阵表示为波数的矩阵级数形式。数值分析表明,本方法不仅保证了解在全波数范围内的唯一性,并且计算频率点数较多时可以节约大量时间,提高计算效率。      

Multiscale molecular dynamics using the matched interface and boundary method

The Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation is an established multiscale model for electrostatic analysis of biomolecules and other dielectric systems. PB based molecular dynamics (MD) approach has a potential to tackle large biological systems. Obstacles that hinder the current development of PB based MD methods are concerns in accuracy, stability, efficiency and reliability. The presence of complex solvent-solute interface, geometric singularities and charge singularities leads to challenges in the numerical solution of the PB equation and electrostatic force evaluation in PB based MD methods. Recently, the matched interface and boundary (MIB) method has been utilized to develop the first second order accurate PB solver that is numerically stable in dealing with discontinuous dielectric coefficients, complex geometric singularities and singular source charges. The present work develops the PB based MD approach using the MIB method. New formulation of electrostatic forces is derived to allow the use of sharp molecular surfaces. Accurate reaction field forces are obtained by directly differentiating the electrostatic potential. Dielectric boundary forces are evaluated at the solvent-solute interface using an accurate Cartesian-grid surface integration method. The electrostatic forces located at reentrant surfaces are appropriately assigned to related atoms. Extensive numerical tests are carried out to validate the accuracy and stability of the present electrostatic force calculation. The new PB based MD method is implemented in conjunction with the AMBER package. MIB based MD simulations of biomolecules are demonstrated via a few example systems.     

The geometry of the hyperbolic system for an anisotropic perfectly elastic medium

We evaluate the fundamental solution of the hyperbolic system describing the generation and propagation of elastic waves in an anisotropic solid by studying the homology of the algebraic hypersurface defined by the characteristic equation, also known as the slowness surface. Our starting point is the Herglotz-Petrovsky-Leray integral representation of the fundamental solution. We find an explicit decomposition of the latter solution into integrals over vanishing cycles associated with the isolated singularities on the slowness surface. As is well known in the theory of isolated singularities, integrals over vanishing cycles satisfy a system of differential equations known as Picard-Fuchs equations. Such equations are linear and can have at most regular singular points. We discuss a method to obtain these equations explicitly. Subsequently, we use the monodromy properties around the regular singular points to find the asymptotic behavior according to the different types of singularities that may appear on a wave front in three dimensions. This is a method alternative to the one that arises in the Maslov theory of oscillating integrals. Our work sheds new light on how to compute and classify the Cagniard-De Hoop contour in the complex radial horizontal slowness plane; this contour is used in numerical integration schemes to obtain the full time behaviour of the fundamental solution for a given direction of propagation.     

Efficient discretization of Laplace boundary integral equations on polygonal domains

We describe a numerical procedure for the construction of quadrature formulae suitable for the efficient discretization of boundary integral equations over very general curve segments. While the procedure has applications to the solution of boundary value problems on a wide class of complicated domains, we concentrate in this paper on a particularly simple case: the rapid solution of boundary value problems for Laplace’s equation on two-dimensional polygonal domains. We view this work as the first step toward the efficient solution of boundary value problems on very general singular domains in both two and three dimensions. The performance of the method is illustrated with several numerical examples.     

Universal quadratures for boundary integral equations on two-dimensional domains with corners

We describe the construction of a collection of quadrature formulae suitable for the efficient discretization of certain boundary integral equations on a very general class of two-dimensional domains with corner points. The resulting quadrature rules allow for the rapid high-accuracy solution of Dirichlet boundary value problems for Laplace’s equation and the Helmholtz equation on such domains under a mild assumption on the boundary data. Our approach can be adapted to other boundary value problems and certain aspects of our scheme generalize to the case of surfaces with singularities in three dimensions. The performance of the quadrature rules is illustrated with several numerical examples.     

Analysis of Two-Dimensional Thin Structures (from Micro- to Nano-Scales) Using the Singular Boundary Method

This study investigates the applicability of the singular boundary method (SBM), a recent developed meshless boundary collocation method, for the analysis of two-dimensional (2D) thin structural problems. The troublesome nearly-singular kernels, which are crucial in the applications of SBM to thin shapes, are dealt with efficiently by using a non-linear transformation technique. Promising SBM results with only a small number of boundary nodes are obtained for thin structures with the thickness-to-length ratio is as small as 1E-9, which is sufficient for modeling most thin layered coating systems as used in smart materials and micro-electro-mechanical systems. The advantages, disadvantages and potential applications of the proposed method, as compared with the finite element (FEM) and boundary element methods (BEM), are also discussed.     

A method of numerical solution of cauchy-type singular integral equations with generalized kernels and arbitrary complex singularities

A numerical method is proposed for the approximate solution of a Cauchy-type singular integral equation (or an uncoupled system of such equations) of the first or the second kind and with a generalized kernel, in the sense that, besides the Cauchy singular part, the kernel has also a Fredholm part presenting strong singularities when both its variables tend to the same end-point of the integration interval. In this case any type of real or generally complex singularities in the unknown function of the integral equation may be present near the end-points of the integration interval. The method proposed consists simply in approximating the integrals in the integral equation by using an appropriate numerical integration rule with generally complex abscissas and weights, followed by the application of the resulting approximate equation at properly selected complex collocation points lying outside the integration interval. Although no proof of the convergence of the method seems possible, this method was seen to exhibit good convergence to the results expected in an example treated.     

Nonlinear nonuniform torsional vibrations of bars by the boundary element method

In this paper a boundary element method is developed for the nonuniform torsional vibration problem of bars of arbitrary doubly symmetric constant cross-section taking into account the effect of geometrical nonlinearity. The bar is subjected to arbitrarily distributed or concentrated conservative dynamic twisting and warping moments along its length, while its edges are supported by the most general torsional boundary conditions. The transverse displacement components are expressed so as to be valid for large twisting rotations (finite displacement-small strain theory), thus the arising governing differential equations and boundary conditions are in general nonlinear. The resulting coupling effect between twisting and axial displacement components is considered and torsional vibration analysis is performed in both the torsional pre- or post-buckled state. A distributed mass model system is employed, taking into account the warping, rotatory and axial inertia, leading to the formulation of a coupled nonlinear initial boundary value problem with respect to the variable along the bar angle of twist and to an “average” axial displacement of the cross-section of the bar. The numerical solution of the aforementioned initial boundary value problem is performed using the analog equation method, a BEM based method, leading to a system of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations (DAE), which is solved using an efficient time discretization scheme. Additionally, for the free vibrations case, a nonlinear generalized eigenvalue problem is formulated with respect to the fundamental mode shape at the points of reversal of motion after ignoring the axial inertia to verify the accuracy of the proposed method. The problem is solved using the direct iteration technique (DIT), with a geometrically linear fundamental mode shape as a starting vector. The validity of negligible axial inertia assumption is examined for the problem at hand.     

A boundary perturbation method for circularly periodic plates with a core

Fundamental frequencies of vibrating circularly periodic plates with a circular core have been determined analytically. A boundary perturbation method is developed to extract the fundamental eigenvalue of the governing biharmonic boundary value problem. The method is then applied to wavy and polygonal plates with clamped and simply supported outer boundary conditions. Clamped, simply supported, and free circular cores are considered. Approximate analytical formulations of the fundamental frequency for such plates with core are obtained.     

Fractional diffusion equation in half-space with Robin boundary condition

The initial and boundary value problem for the fractional diffusion equation in half-space with the Robin boundary condition is considered. The solution is comprised of two parts: the contribution of the initial value and the contribution of the boundary value, for which the respective fundamental solutions are given. Finally, the solution formula of the considered problem is obtained.     

Green function solution of generalised boundary value problems

We construct an expression for the Green function of a differential operator satisfying nonlocal, homogeneous boundary conditions starting from the fundamental solution of the differential operator. This also provides the solution to the boundary value problem of an inhomogeneous partial differential equation with inhomogeneous, nonlocal boundary conditions. The construction applies for a broad class of linear partial differential equations and linear boundary conditions.     

A scaled boundary node method applied to two-dimensional crack problems

A boundary-type meshless method called the scaled boundary node method(SBNM) is developed to directly evaluate mixed mode stress intensity factors(SIFs) without extra post-processing.The SBNM combines the scaled boundary equations with the moving Kriging(MK) interpolation to retain the dimensionality advantage of the former and the meshless attribute of the latter.As a result,the SBNM requires only a set of scattered nodes on the boundary,and the displacement field is approximated by using the MK interpolation technique,which possesses the δ function property.This makes the developed method efficient and straightforward in imposing the essential boundary conditions,and no special treatment techniques are required.Besides,the SBNM works by weakening the governing differential equations in the circumferential direction and then solving the weakened equations analytically in the radial direction.Therefore,the SBNM permits an accurate representation of the singularities in the radial direction when the scaling center is located at the crack tip.Numerical examples using the SBNM for computing the SIFs are presented.Good agreements with available results in the literature are obtained.     

Renormalization group analysis of boundary conditions in potential scattering

We analyze how a short distance boundary condition for the Schrödinger equation must change as a function of the boundary radius by imposing the physical requirement of phase shift independence on the boundary condition. The resulting equation can be interpreted as a variable phase equation of a complementary boundary value problem. We discuss the corresponding infrared fixed points and the perturbative expansion around them generating a short distance modified effective range theory. We also discuss ultraviolet fixed points, limit cycles, and attractors with a given fractality which take place for singular attractive potentials at the origin. The scaling behavior of scattering observables can analytically be determined and is studied with some emphasis on the low energy nucleon-nucleon interaction via singular pion exchange potentials. The generalization to coupled channels is also studied.     

A basic study on the sound field analysis of periodic structures by boundary integral equation method

This study deals with the development of the approximate method to analyze the sound field around equally spaced finite obstacles, using the periodic boundary condition. First, on the assumption that the equally spaced finite obstacles are the periodically arranged obstacles, the sound field is analyzed by boundary integral equation method with a Green’s function which satisfies the periodic boundary condition. Furthermore, by comparing these results and the exact solution by using the fundamental solution as Green’s function, the validity of the approximate method is also investigated. Next, in order to evaluate the applicability of the approximate method, the simple formula using some parameters, i.e., the frequency, the period, and the number of obstacles, etc., is proposed. The results of the sound field analysis applied the formula are presented.     

Singularities of the Hele-Shaw flow and shock waves in dispersive media

We show that singularities developed in the Hele-Shaw problem have a structure identical to shock waves in dissipativeless dispersive media. We propose an experimental setup where the cell is permeable to a nonviscous fluid and study continuation of the flow through singularities. We show that a singular flow in this nontraditional cell is described by the Whitham equations identical to Gurevich-Pitaevski solution for a regularization of shock waves in Korteveg-de Vriez equation. This solution describes regularization of singularities through creation of disconnected bubbles.     

Acoustic analysis of a rectangular cavity with general impedance boundary conditions

A Fourier series method is proposed for the acoustic analysis of a rectangular cavity with impedance boundary conditions arbitrarily specified on any of the walls. The sound pressure is expressed as the combination of a three-dimensional Fourier cosine series and six supplementary two-dimensional expansions introduced to ensure (accelerate) the uniform and absolute convergence (rate) of the series representation in the cavity including the boundary surfaces. The expansion coefficients are determined using the Rayleigh-Ritz method. Since the pressure field is constructed adequately smooth throughout the entire solution domain, the Rayleigh-Ritz solution is mathematically equivalent to what is obtained from a strong formulation based on directly solving the governing equations and the boundary conditions. To unify the treatments of arbitrary nonuniform impedance boundary conditions, the impedance distribution function on each specified surface is invariantly expressed as a double Fourier series expansion so that all the relevant integrals can be calculated analytically. The modal parameters for the acoustic cavity can be simultaneously obtained from solving a standard matrix eigenvalue problem instead of iteratively solving a nonlinear transcendental equation as in the existing methods. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the current method for various impedance boundary conditions, including nonuniform impedance distributions.     

Beam vibrations with time-dependent boundary conditions

A procedure is outlined for the solution of the vibration problem of a Bernoulli-Euler beam with time-dependent boundary conditions. The solution is greatly simplified if the dependent variable in the original partial differential equation can be changed to produce homogeneous boundary conditions and at the same time maintain a homogeneous differential equation. A method for making such a change is given and illustrated by solving a cantilever beam problem with a time-dependent tip displacement.