The boundary contour method for piezoelectric media with linear boundary elements

This paper presents a development of the boundary contour method (BCM) for piezoelectric media. First, the divergence-free property of the integrand of the piezoelectric boundary element is proved. Secondly, the boundary contour method formulation is derived and potential functions are obtained by introducing linear shape functions and Green's functions (Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 1998; 158:65) for piezoelectric media. The BCM is applied to the problem of piezoelectric media. Finally, numerical solutions for illustrative examples are compared with exact ones and those of the conventional boundary element method (BEM). The numerical results of the BCM coincide very well with the exact solution, and the feasibility and efficiency of the method are verified. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.