Time dependent axisymmetric thermoelastic boundary element analysis

A boundary element method is developed for problems of quasistatic axisymmetric thermoelasticity. Unlike previous approaches, this new time domain formulation is written exclusively in terms of surface quantities, thereby eliminating the need for volume discretization. Furthermore, since the exact three‐dimensional infinite space fundamental solutions are employed, very accurate solutions are obtainable, including the determination of surface stresses. In the integral formulation, the fundamental solutions are separated into steady‐state and transient components. The steady‐state portion, which contains all of the singularities, is integrated analytically in the circumferential direction, yielding the familiar axisymmetric kernels. The remaining non‐singular transient integrands are treated by a combination of analytical and numerical quadrature. The method is implemented in a general purpose boundary element code, which includes multiregion capability along with higher order conforming surface elements. Several numerical examples are provided to illustrate the validity of the formulation and the attractiveness of this approach for practical engineenring analysis.