Nearly Singular and Hypersingular Integrals in the Boundary Element Method

Several techniques in dealing with nearly singular and hypersingular integrals which arise in applications of the boundary element method (BEM) are studied in this paper. The approach of using line integrals is emphasized and explored in some detail due to its high efficiency and accuracy. Numerical examples of stress analysis and scattering from an open crack in a 3-D elastic medium are presented to illustrate the ideas.