Poromechanical models

Abstract

This chapter reviews the Biot's model for predicting propagation of ultrasonic waves in cancellous bone. A presentation of the general theory, including recent developments in the field of poroelastic modelling is proposed. These include micro-inhomogeneity in the fluid flow, thermal conduction effects, macroscopic viscous stresses and micro-poromechanical models such as the multi-layer model. Studies comparing empirical results with predictions from different versions of the Biot's model are reviewed, and the relevance of these models is discussed. A parametric analysis is performed to illustrate the strong sensitivity of the theoretical predictions to the input parameters.