An advanced 3D boundary element method for characterizations of composite materials

Some recent developments in the modeling of composite materials using the boundary element method (BEM) are presented in this paper. The boundary integral equation for 3D multi-domain elasticity problems is reviewed. Difficulties in dealing with nearly-singular integrals, which arise in the BEM modeling of composite materials with closely packed filters or of thin films, are discussed. New and improved techniques to deal with the nearly-singular integrals in the 3D elasticity BEM are presented. Numerical examples of layered thin films and composites with randomly distributed particles and fibers are studied. The advantages and limitations of the BEM approach in modeling advanced composites are also discussed. The developed BEM with multi-domain and thin-body capabilities is demonstrated to be a promising tool for simulations and characterization of various composite materials. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.