Application of the boundary element method to rubber-like elasticity

A boundary element method solution for the problem of finite deformation of rubber-like materials is presented. The solution is obtained by solving the nonlinear boundary element equations using an incremental-iterative procedure. The procedure is then implemented in a computer code that is tested through three numerical examples. In the first example, the plane strain problem of a thick-walled cylindrical pressure vessel is considered. In the second and third examples, which represent the plane stress case, a square rubber sheet with and without a central hole is subjected to finite plane deformation.