Abstract
This paper proposes an analytical method to determine the stress distribution in an elastic body using the stress measured on the surface. The basic equation is derived from the boundary integral equation approach introducing a point source which produces displacement and stress fields in an elastic body. The point source is called as a body force dipole and composed of two body forces with identical magnitude acting in the opposite directions at the same location. The fundamental solutions on the displacement and stress fields by a body force dipole are derived theoretically and confirmed numerically that it produces the same fields generated by a pair of body forces. The input condition are then discussed how the location, the number and the components of known surface stress effect on the accuracy of the body force distribution. The results show that the tangential component of normal stress measured on the surface should be used alone in the inverse analysis.
