Explicit expressions for 3D boundary integrals in potential theory

On employing isoparametric, piecewise linear shape functions over a flat triangular domain, exact expressions are derived for all surface potentials involved in the numerical solution of three‐dimensional singular and hyper‐singular boundary integral equations of potential theory. These formulae, which are valid for an arbitrary source point in space, are represented as analytic expressions over the edges of the integration triangle. They can be used to solve integral equations defined on polygonal boundaries via the collocation method or may be utilized as analytic expressions for the inner integrals in the Galerkin technique. In addition, the constant element approximation can be directly obtained with no extra effort. Sample problems solved by the collocation boundary element method for the Laplace equation are included to validate the proposed formulae. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.