Improved non-singular method of fundamental solutions for two-dimensional isotropic elasticity problems with elastic/rigid inclusions or voids

In this work, an Improved Non-singular Method of Fundamental Solutions (INMFS) is developed for the solution of two-dimensional linear elasticity problems. The source points and field points are collocated on the physical boundary, while the conventional MFS requires a troublesome fictitious boundary outside the physical domain. In INMFS, the desingularization is, for complying with the displacement boundary conditions, achieved by replacement of the concentrated point sources by distributed sources over circular discs around the singularity, and for complying with the traction boundary conditions by assuming the balance of the forces. This procedure is much more efficient than the previously proposed procedure that involves two reference solutions and at the same time enables INMFS for solving problems with internal voids and inclusions. The method has been assessed by comparison with MFS, analytical solutions and previous desingularization technique. The method is easy to code, accurate, efficient, and straightforwardly extendable to three dimensions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.