Object-oriented programming for the boundary element method in two-dimensional heat transfer analysis

The usual boundary element analysis programs are coded in FORTRAN, which makes it difficult to build and maintain complex program systems. This paper presents the idea and implementation of the object-oriented programming approach for the boundary element method in two-dimensional heat transfer analysis. The advantages of the object-oriented programming for developing the complicated boundary element analysis program are demonstrated by examples for two different types of partial differential equations: the Laplace equation and the diffusion equation. Based on the object-oriented programming approach together with the efficient coding in C++, computer programs for the above problems are systematic, brief and readable.