ABSTRACT
The boundary element method (BEM) is a numerical technique based on the boundary integral equation (BIE), which has been developed since the 1960s. For many problems, BEM is undoubtedly superior to the “domain discretization” types of methods, such as the finite element method (FEM) and the finite difference method (FDM). BEM has a wellknown advantage of dimension reduction for linear problems. For example, only the twodimensional (2D) bounding surface of a three-dimensional (3D) body needs to be discretized. BEM is applicable to all the problems for which the fundamental solution (Green’s functions) is known in a reasonably simple form, preferably in a closed form.
