Boundary element methods—An overview

Variational methods for boundary integral equations deal with the weak formulations of boundary integral equations. Their numerical discretizations are known as the boundary element methods. This paper gives an overview of the method from both theoretical and numerical point of view. It summarizes the main results obtained by the author and his collaborators over the last 30 years. Fundamental theory and various applications will be illustrated through simple examples. Some numerical experiments in elasticity as well as in fluid mechanics will be included to demonstrate the efficiency of the methods.