This special issue of Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements is dedicated to the development of Boundary Element Methods (BEM) and other Mesh Reduction Methods (MRM) for the modelling and analysis of inhomogeneous solids. As such, it contains papers authored by well-known researchers in the field. The interest is mainly focused on problems described by linear or nonlinear differential equations with variable coefficients, reflecting the response of solids nowadays classified as Functionally Graded Materials (FGM). Although the BEM is a robust computational tool for static and dynamic analysis of linear problems when the fundamental solution of the governing operator is available, the method practically becomes inefficient when a general fundamental solution cannot be established or when it is difficult to process it numerically. Such cases arise in the analysis of the response of inhomogeneous bodies. Many techniques have been developed to overcome this problem and at the same time maintain the pure boundary character of the BEM, thus rendering it an established, excellent modern computational tool for solving problems in engineering praxis and for investigating the general response of physical systems.
展开▼
