A robust and non-singular formulation of the boundary integral method for the potential problem

Abstract

A non-singular formulation of the boundary integral method (BIM) is presented for the Laplace equation whereby the well-known singularities that arise from the fundamental solution are eliminated analytically. A key advantage of this approach is that numerical errors that arise due to the proximity of nodes located on osculating boundaries are suppressed. This is particularly relevant in multi-scale problems where high accuracy is required without undue increase in computational cost when the spacing between boundaries become much smaller than their characteristic dimensions. The elimination of the singularities means that standard quadrature can be used to evaluate the surface integrals and..