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In the present study, a nonlinear joint element model with a coupled shear-tensile behavior for multi body boundary element frictional contact problems is presented. The analysis is carried out by discrete crack model using the multi-region 3D boundary element method including material damping. To account for the decay of joint strength parameters at intermediate courses of deformation, the simplified discrete crack joint model (SDCJ) has been used. The nonlinear nature of contact problems demands an iterative technique development to determine the actual contact conditions (opening and sliding with bonding and friction) at arbitrary points of the contact boundaries. Through several analyses, it is demonstrated that the proposed method is robust, as it does not require to solve the whole system simultaneously. As a particular case, the influence of foundation inhomogeneity on the seismic response of concrete arch dam has been studied in order to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the present approach in a complicated case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]