On the removal of the non‐uniqueness in the solution of elastostatic problems by symmetric Galerkin BEM

A study of the removal of the non‐uniqueness in the solution of elastostatic problems by means of the symmetric Galerkin boundary element method is presented. The paper focuses on elastic problems defined on domains with cavities, where cavity boundaries are subjected to traction boundary conditions. A simple method consisting in a direct application of support conditions and several methods based on the Fredholm theory of linear operators are introduced, implemented and analysed. Numerical examples demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods and accuracy of their results, a comparative evaluation of the methods developed being finally presented. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.