Isogeometric indirect BEM solution based on virtual continuous sources placed directly on the boundary of 2D Helmholtz acoustic problems

An indirect boundary element method (BEM) based on isogeometric analysis (IGA) is proposed for 2D Helmholtz acoustic problems using virtual continuous sources placed directly on the problem boundary. The virtual sources form a virtual boundary identical to the main problem boundary. The proposed solution couples the CAD model with the analysis model by approximating both the CAD model and the virtual continuous sources with the same non-uniform rational B-spline functions (NURBS). Moreover, neither domain discretization nor truncation boundaries at the far-field are required. This solution creates only one coefficient matrix by directly arranging the linear system of equations. The solution follows a collocation scheme on the boundaries based on Greville abscissae with offsets wherever C0 continuity is encountered to permit an easy prediction for the normal directions and the free-terms at the collocation points required in the cases of Neumann and Robin boundary conditions. It allows us also to treat all integrals with standard Gauss quadrature points. Several numerical examples for exterior and interior acoustic problems are discussed to verify the proposed solution with comparisons to analytical solutions and previously published numerical results. These examples prove the robustness of the proposed solution even for high wavenumbers, in contrast to the previous attempts which implemented extensive investigations to find out the optimum place of the sources outside the domain producing minimum errors. Furthermore, no fictitious eigenfrequency problem is observed for exterior acoustic problems.