The scattering of oblique flexural waves of a cracked conducting plate in a uniform magnetic field

Summary Following a classical plate bending theory for magneto-elastic interactions under quasistatic electromagnetic field, we consider the scattering of time harmonic flexural waves by a through crack in a conducting plate under a uniform magnetic field normal to the crack surface. It is assumed that the plate has the finite electric conductivity, and the electric and magnetic permeabilities of the free space. An incident wave giving rise to moments symmetric about the crack plane is applied in an arbitrary direction. Fourier transform method is used to solve the mixed boundary value problem which reduces to a pair of dual integral equations. These dual integral equations are further reduced to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. The dynamic moment intensity factor versus frequency for several values of incident angle is computed and the influence of the magnetic field on the normalized values is displayed graphically.     

Extension of moment-method solutions to vector scattering by three-dimensional non-linear dielectric objects in free space

In this paper, we explore the possibility of applying the moment method to determine the electromagnetic field distributions inside three-dimensional bounded non-linear dielectric objects of arbitrary shapes. The moment method has usually been employed to solve linear scattering problems. We start with an integral equation formulation, and derive a non-linear system of algebraic equations that allows us to obtain an approximate solution for the harmonic vector components of the electric field. Preliminary results of some numerical simulations are reported.     

Layerwise fundamental solutions and three-dimensional model for layered media

A hybrid method is presented for the analysis of layers, plates, and multilayered systems consisting of isotropic and linear elastic materials. The problem is formulated for the general case of a multilayered system using a total potential energy formulation and employing the layerwise laminate theory of Reddy. The developed boundary integral equation model is two-dimensional, displacement based and assumes piecewise continuous distribution of the displacement components through the system's thickness. A one-dimensional finite element model is used for the analysis of the multilayered system through its thickness, and integral Fourier transforms are used to obtain the exact solution for the in-plane problem. Explicit expressions are obtained for the fundamental solution of a typical infinite layer (element), which can be applied in a two-dimensional boundary integral equation model to analyze layered structures. This model describes the three-dimensional displacement field at arbitrary points either in the domain of the layered medium or on its boundary. The proposed method provides a simple, efficient, and versatile model for a three-dimensional analysis of thick plates or multilayered systems.Visiting Assistant ProfessorOscar S. Wyatt, Jr. Chair     

Integral equation formulation for reflection by a mirror

When light is incident on a mirror, it induces a current density on its surface. This surface current density emits radiation, which is the observed reflected field. We consider a monochromatic incident field with an arbitrary spatial dependence, and we derive an integral equation for the Fourier-transformed surface current density. This equation contains the incident electric field at the surface as an inhomogeneous term. The incident field, emitted by a source current density in front of the mirror, is then represented by an angular spectrum, and this leads to a solution of the integral equation. From this result we derive a relation between the surface current density and the current density of the source. It is shown with examples that this approach provides a simple method for obtaining the surface current density. It is also shown that with the solution of the integral equation, an image source can be constructed for any current source, and as illustration we construct the images of electric and magnetic dipoles and the mirror image of an electric quadrupole. By applying the general solution for the surface current density, we derive an expression for the reflected field as an integral over the source current distribution, and this may serve as an alternative to the method of images.     

A general integral equation formulatin for homogeneous orthotropic potential problems

In this paper an integral equation formulation is proposed for the analysis of orthotropic potential problems. The two primary integral equations of the method are derived from the original governing differential equation firstly by rewriting it in a slightly different form and then applying the direct boundary element method formulation. The solution procedure is based on the use of the fundamental solutions for the isotropic potential case and special attention is given to the differentiation of a singular integral which yields an additional term as well as to the evaluation of the resulting Cauchy principal value integral. A simple discretization for the boundary and its interior domain is adopted in order to express the primary integral equations of the method in matrix form. Three examples are presented, the results of which illustrate the satisfactory accuracy of the method. The main feature of the proposed formulation is its generality, which makes possible its direct extension to solve such as heat conduction or subsurface flow in anisotropic media and, foremost, to orthotropic and anisotropic elasticity or elastoplasticity.     

Solving acoustic nonlinear eigenvalue problems with a contour integral method

In this paper, a contour integral method (especially the block Sakurai–Sugiura method) is used to solve the eigenvalue problems governed by the Helmholtz equation, and formulated through two meshless methods. Singular value decomposition is employed to filter out the irrelevant eigenvalues. The accuracy and the ease of use of the proposed approach is illustrated with some numerical examples, and the choice of the contour integral method parameters is discussed. In particular, an application of the method on a sphere with realistic impedance boundary condition is performed and validated by comparison with results issued from a finite element method software.     

Reduced single integral equation for quasistationary fields in solid conductor systems

A new surface integral formulation is presented for time-harmonic quasistationary fields in systems of parallel hollow and/or layered solid conductors carrying electric currents and/or immersed in given transverse magnetic fields. The formulation yields an integral equation for a single unknown function over only one of the interfaces of the conductors. The amount of numerical computation needed for the field problem solution is substantially reduced with respect to that required by coupled boundary integral equation techniques, where two unknown functions over all the conductor interfaces are involved. The accuracy of the computed results is determined by using an exact analytical solution. Various test results are compared with those generated from existent boundary integral methods in order to demonstrate the high efficiency of the proposed solution method.     

Improving the accuracy of the magnetic field integral equation with the use of a new impedance matrix element formulation

The electric field integral equation (EFIE) and the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) are widely used in conjunction with method of moments for electromagnetic scattering analysis of three-dimensional conducting objects with closed surfaces. However, the MFIE suffers from an accuracy problem compared with the EFIE with the use of the Rao?Wilton?Glisson (RWG) basis function. This accuracy problem is more serious for objects with sharp edges or corners. To solve this problem, a new technique to compute the impedance matrix elements (IME) of the MFIE using an RWG basis function is presented here. Details to compute the IME and the advantage of this new formulation are displayed. In addition, the relationship between this new IME formulation and the formulation using the low-order curl-conforming basis function for the MFIE is given. Through the computation of the RCS of several relatively small sharp-edged conducting objects, it is shown that the accuracy of the MFIE can be greatly improved by the use of the new IME formulation.     

Integral equation analysis of coupling in symmetric grating-assisted optical waveguides

The propagation and coupling phenomena in grating-assisted optical couplers are analyzed by using an integral equation formulation and applying an entire-domain Galerkin technique. The proposed method constitutes a special type of the method of moments and provides high numerical stability and controllable accuracy. The electric field in the grating region is the unknown quantity and the resulting integral equation is subsequently solved by using Galerkin's method. The propagation constants of the guided waves are computed accurately by determining the singular points of the corresponding system's matrix. Numerical results regarding the propagation constants are presented for various coupler parameters, and the effect of the grating's physical and geometric characteristics on the coupling process is investigated.     

Eddy current analysis of a conductor with a groove by surface integral equation with one unknown

In this paper, we study how to solve eddy currents induced in a conductor with a narrow groove in the case of thick skin depth by using surface integral equations, of which unknowns are the surface electric and magnetic currents. When the skin depth is small, the surface integral equations give accurate solutions except around the sharp edge and corner. Some edges and corners of the groove are so close that it is difficult to get accurate solutions; moreover, as the width of the groove becomes narrower, the surface integral equations become ill conditioned. In order to solve these problems, we propose a method to analyze the eddy currents induced in a conductor with a groove by introducing a lumped loop magnetic current, which is formulated by a surface integral equation derived from the normal component of the electric field.     

Direct use of discrete complex image method for evaluating electric field expressions in a lossy half space

A modelling technique is proposed for direct use of the discrete complex image method (DCIM) to derive closed-form expressions for electric field components encountered in the electric field integral equation (EFIE) representing a lossy half space problem. The technique circumvents time consuming numerical computation of Sommerfeld integrals by approximating the kernel of the integrals with appropriate mathematical functions. This is done by appropriate use of either the least-square Prony (LS-Prony) method or the matrix pencil method (MPM) to represent electric field expressions in terms of spherical waves and their derivatives. A comparison is made between the two methods based on the computation time and accuracy and it is shown that the LS-Prony method performs two?three times faster than the MPM in approximating the integral kernels depending on the platform. The main feature of the proposed technique is its ability for direct inclusion in the kernel of computational tools based on the method of moments solution of the EFIE. This can be viewed as an advantage over the conventional DCIM approximation of spatial Green's functions for mixed potential integral equation for cases where the problem in hand can be more efficiently represented by the EFIE (e.g. the thin-wire EFIE). The accuracy of the proposed technique is validated against numerical integration of Sommerfeld integrals for an arbitrary electric dipole inside a lossy half space.     

Vector potential integral formulation for eddy-current proberesponse to cracks

A boundary integral vector potential formulation has been developed to evaluate eddy-current interactions with three-dimensional finite cracks in conductors. The approach is compared with an electric field integral equation method also used for solving crack problems in eddy-current nondestructive evaluation. An important advantage of the vector potential integral formulation is that the kernel has a weak singularity, but a drawback is that two unknown functions must be found on the crack surface. One of these functions, the current dipole density, represents the effect of the crack in terms of an induced source, and the other function is a solution of the two-dimensional Laplace equation. By contrast, the source density alone is needed for a complete solution of the electric field integral equation. In order to determine the surface Laplacian for finite cracks of arbitrary shape, a general numerical solution utilizing the boundary element technique is introduced. Numerical predictions of the eddy-current probe response to a crack give good agreement with experimental measurements, supporting the validity of the formulation     

An integral formulation applied to the diffusion and Boussinesq equations

A new integral method is proposed here to solve the diffusion equation (confined flow) and the Boussinesq equation (unconfined flow) in a two-dimensional porous medium. The method, based on Green's theorem, derives its integral representation from the portion of the original differential equation with the highest space derivatives so that the resulting kernel of the integral representation is not time dependent. Compared to an earlier integral formulation, namely the direct Green function, based on the same theorem, the kernel is simpler so that the present theory provides a more efficient numerical model without compromising accuracy. An iterative scheme is employed along with the theory to achieve solutions to the non-linear Boussinesq equation. Concepts used in the finite difference and finite element methods enable simplification of the temporal derivative. The method is tested with success on a number of numerical examples from groundwater flow.     

Perturbed incomplete ILU preconditioner for efficient solution of electric field integral equations

To efficiently solve large, dense, complex linear systems that arise in the electric field integral equation (EFIE) formulation of electromagnetic scattering problems, a new modified incomplete LU (ILU) preconditioner is developed and used in the context of the generalised minimal residual iterative method accelerated with the multilevel fast multipole method. The key idea is to perturb the near-field impedance matrix of EFIE with the principle value term of the magnetic field integral equation operator before constructing ILU preconditioners. Numerical experiments indicate that this new perturbation technique is very effective with the ILU preconditioner and the resulted ILU preconditioner can reduce both the iteration number and the computational time substantially.     

Rigorous integral equation analysis of nonsymmetric coupled grating slab waveguides

A rigorous integral equation formulation in conjunction with Green's function theory is used to analyze the waveguiding and coupling phenomena in nonsymmetric (composed of dissimilar slabs) optical couplers with gratings etched on both slabs. The resulting integral equation is solved by applying an entire-domain Galerkin technique based on a Fourier series expansion of the unknown electric field on the grating regions. The proposed analysis actually constitutes a special type of the method of moments and provides high numerical stability and controllable accuracy. The singular points of the system's matrix accurately determine the complex propagation constants of the guided waves. The results obtained improve on those derived by coupled-mode methods in the cases of large grating perturbations and highly dissimilar slabs. Numerical results referring to the evolution of the propagation constants as a function of the grating's characteristics are presented. Optimal grating parameters with respect to minimum coupling length and maximum coupling efficiency are reported. The coupler's efficient operation as an optical bandpass filter is thoroughly investigated.     

Applications of dual MRM for determining the natural frequencies and natural modes of an Euler–Bernoulli beam using the singular value decomposition method

In this paper, a dual multiple reciprocity method (MRM) is employed to solve the natural frequencies and natural modes for an Euler–Bernoulli beam. It is found that the conventional MRM using an essential integral equation results in spurious eigenvalues and modes. By using the natural integral equation of dual MRM, the spurious eigendata can be filtered out. Four numerical examples are given to verify the validity of the present formulation. In one of these four examples, fixed–fixed supported beam, it is found that the boundary eigenvector cannot be determined by either the essential or natural integral equation alone since the rank of the corresponding leading coefficient matrix is insufficient. The singular value decomposition method is then used to solve the eigenproblem after combining the essential and natural integral equations. This method can avoid the spurious eigenvalue problem and possible indeterminancy of boundary eigenvectors at the same time.     

HYPERSINGULAR BEM FOR TRANSIENT ELASTODYNAMICS

The topic of hypersingular boundary integral equations is a rapidly developing one due to the advantages which this kind of formulation offers compared to the standard boundary integral one. In this paper the hypersingular formulation is developed for time-domain antiplane elastodynamic problems. Firstly, the gradient representation is found from the displacement one, removing the strong singularities (Dirac's delta functions) which arise due to the differentiation process. The gradient representation is carried to the boundary through a limiting process and the resulting equation is shown to be consistent with the static formulation. Next, the numerical treatment of the traction boundary integral equation and its application to crack problems are presented. For the boundary discretization, conforming quadratic elements are tested, which are introduced in this paper for the first time, and it is shown that the results are very good in spite of the lesser number of unknowns of this approach in comparison to the non-conforming element alternative. A procedure is devised to numerically perform the hypersingular integrals that is both accurate and versatile. Several crack problems are solved to show the possibilities of the method. To this end both straight and curved elements are employed as well as regular and distorted quarter point elements.     

SOLVING TRANSIENT DYNAMIC CRACK PROBLEMS BY THE HYPERSINGULAR BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD

Abstract— The subject of hypersingular boundary integral equations is a rapidly developing topic due to the advantages which this kind of formulation offers compared to the standard boundary integral method. The hypersingular formulation is particularly well suited for fracture mechanics problems, where there are important gradients of the stress field and singularities. This formulation for time domain antiplane problems has been recently addressed by the authors and in the present paper, the formulation for time domain plane problems is presented and applied for the first time. A mixed Boundary Element approach based on the standard integral equation and the hypersingular integral equation is developed. The mixed formulation allows for a very simple discretization of the problem, where no subregion is needed. Conforming quadratic elements are used for the crack and the external boundaries. The hypersingular integral equation is used for collocation points within the crack elements, while the standard integral representation is used for the external boundaries. Several examples with different crack geometries are studied to illustrate the possibilities of the method. The Stress Intensity Factor (S.I.F.) is very accurately computed from the crack tip opening displacements along the crack tip element. The results show that the proposed approach for S.I.F. evaluation is simple and produces accurate solutions.     

Dynamic stress intensity factor of a cracked dielectric medium in a uniform electric field

Summary We consider the scattering of normally incident longitudinal waves by a finite crack in an infinite isotropic dielectric body under a uniform electric field. By the use of Fourier transforms, we reduce the problem to that of solving two simultaneous dual integral equations. The solution of the dual integral equations is then expressed in terms of a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind having the kernel that is a finite integral. The dynamic stress intensity factor versus frequency is computed, and the influence of the electric field on the normalized values is displayed graphically.     

An advanced BEM for electromagnetic wave scattering problems with axisymmetric dielectric particles

An advanced boundary element/fast Fourier transform (FFT) methodology for solving axisymmetric electromagnetic wave scattering problems with general, non-axisymmetric boundary conditions is presented. The incident field as well as the boundary quantities of the problem are expanded in complex Fourier series with respect to the circumferential direction. Each of the expanding coefficients satisfies a surface integral equation which, due to axisymmetry, is reduced to a line integral along the surface generator of the body and an integral over the angle of revolution. The first integral is evaluated by discretizing the meridional line of the body into isoparametric elements and employing Gauss quadrature. The integration over the angle of revolution is performed simultaneously for all the expanding coefficients through the FFT. The singular integrals are computed directly with high accuracy. Representative numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed boundary element formulation.