Boundary perturbation solution for nearly circular holes and rigid inclusions in an infinite elastic medium

The boundary perturbation method is used to solve the problem of a nearly circular rigid inclusion in a two-dimensional elastic medium subjected to hydrostatic stress at infinity. The solution is taken to the fourth order in the small parameter epsilon that quantifies the magnitude of the variation of the radius of the inclusion. This result is then used to find the effective bulk modulus of a body that contains a dilute concentration of such inclusions. The corresponding results for a cavity are obtained by setting the Muskhelishvili coefficient K equal to -1, as specified by the Dundurs correspondence principle. The results for nearly circular pores can be expressed in terms of the pore compressibility. The pore compressibilities given by the perturbation solution are tested against numerical values obtained using the boundary element method, and are shown to have good accuracy over a substantial range of roughness values.