This paper presents a novel method for error estimation and \(h\)-version adaptive mesh refinement for potential problems which are solved by the boundary element method. Special sensitivities, denoted as mesh sensitivities, are used to evaluate a posteriori error indicators for each element, and a global error estimator. A mesh sensitivity is the sensitivity of a physical quantity at a boundary node with respect to perturbation of the mesh. The element error indicators for all the elements can be evaluated from these mesh sensitivities. Mesh refinement can then be performed by using these element error indicators as guides.
The method presented is suitable for both potential and elastostatics problems, and can be applied to adaptive mesh refinement with either linear or quadratic boundary elements. For potential problems, the physical quantities are potentials and/or fluxes; for elastostatics problems, the physical quantities are tractions/displacements (or tangential derivatives of displacements). In this paper the focus is on potential problems with linear elements, and the proposed method is validated with two illustrative examples.