In this paper, a symmetric Galerkin boundary integral equation including bo
dy force terms is presented. The implementation of the dual reciprocity met
hod to transfer the domain integrals to the boundary is presented in the co
ntext of the Galerkin formulation. Several numerical examples involving sel
f-weight and centrifugal body forces are studied to demonstrate the efficie
ncy of the method. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.