Numerical solution of singular integral equations in stress concentration problems under longitudinal shear loading

Summary The paper deals with numerical solutions of singular integral equations in stress concentration problems for longitudinal shear loading. The body force method is used to formulate the problem as a system of singular integral equations with Cauchy-type singularities, where unknown functions are densities of body forces distributed in the longitudinal direction of an infinite body. First, four kinds of fundamental density functions are introduced to satisfy completely the boundary conditions for an elliptical boundary in the range 0≤φ _k ≤2π. To explain the idea of the fundamental densities, four kinds of equivalent auxiliary body force densities are defined in the range 0≤φ _k ≤π/2, and necessary conditions that the densities must satisfy are described. Then, four kinds of fundamental density functions are explained as sample functions to satisfy the necessary conditions. Next, the unknown functions of the body force densities are approximated by a linear combination of the fundamental density functions and weight functions, which are unknown. Calculations are carried out for several arrangements of elliptical holes. It is found that the present method yields rapidly converging numerical results. The body force densities and stress distributions along the boundaries are shown in figures to demonstrate the accuracy of the present solutions. Received 26 May 1998; accepted for publication 27 November 1998