Implicit consistent and continuum tangent operators in elastoplastic boundary element formulations Original Research Article

This paper presents an assessment and comparison of boundary element method (BEM) formulations for elastoplasticity using both the consistent tangent operator (CTO) and the continuum tangent operator (CON). These operators are integrated into a single computational implementation using linear or quadratic elements for both boundary and domain discretizations. This computational setting is also used in the development of a method for calculating the J integral, which is an important parameter in (nonlinear) fracture mechanics. Various two-dimensional examples are given and relevant response parameters such as the residual norm, computational processing time, and results obtained at various load and iteration steps, are provided. The examples include fracture problems and J integral evaluation. Finally, conclusions are inferred and extensions of this work are discussed.