Stress analysis for two-dimensional thin structural problems using the meshless singular boundary method

This short communication documents the first attempt to apply the singular boundary method (SBM) for the stress analysis of thin structural elastic problems. The troublesome nearly-singular kernels, which are crucial in the applications of the SBM to thin shapes, are dealt with efficiently by using a non-linear transformation technique. Three benchmark numerical examples, ranging from thin films, thin shell-like structures and multi-layer coating systems, are well studied to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The advantages, disadvantages and potential applications of the method to thin structural problems, as compared with the boundary element (BEM) and finite element (FEM) methods, are also discussed.