Meshless thermo‐elastoplastic analysis by triple‐reciprocity boundary element method

In general, internal cells are required to solve thermo‐elastoplasticity problems by a conventional boundary element method (BEM). However, in this case, the merit of BEM, which is the easy preparation of data, is lost. A conventional multiple‐reciprocity boundary element method (MRBEM) cannot be used to solve elastoplasticity problems, because the distribution of initial strain or stress cannot be determined analytically. In this study, it is shown that without the use of internal cells, two‐dimensional thermo‐elastoplasticity problems can be solved by a triple‐reciprocity BEM using a thin plate spline. Initial strain and stress formulations are adopted and the initial strain or stress distribution is interpolated using boundary integral equations. A new computer program was developed and applied to solve several problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.