The simulation of 3D elastic scattering produced by thin rigid inclusions using the traction boundary element method

Abstract

A mixed formulation that uses both the traction boundary element method (TBEM) and the boundary element method (BEM) is proposed to compute the three-dimensional (3D) propagation of elastic waves scattered by two-dimensional (2D) thin rigid inclusions. Although the conventional direct BEM has limitations when dealing with thin-body problems, this model overcomes that difficulty. It is formulated in the frequency domain and, taking into account the 2-1/2D configuration of the problem, can be expressed in terms of waves with varying wavenumbers in the zdirection, kz. The elastic medium is homogeneous and unbounded and it should be noted that no restrictions are imposed on the geometry and orientation of the internal crack.