Poroelasticity and poroplasticity at large strains

Abstract

This paper reviews some aspects of the formulation of the constitutive behavior of a saturated porous material in isothermal evolutions in the domain of large strains. First, the results concerning the nonporous solid are recalled. Then, the poroelastic and poro-elastoplastic behaviors at large strains are successively considered. When the solid phase is elastic at large strains, a micro-macro approach shows that the free energy of the skeleton is a macroscopic thermodynamic potential. The latter depends on the macroscopic strain of the skeleton and on the lagrangian porosity, which can be interpreted as macroscopic state variables. When the solid is elastoplastic at large strains, a theory of finite poro-elastoplasticity is proposed within a macroscopic thermodynamic framework. The homogenization techniques allow to clarify some aspects of the formulation of the macroscopic behavior. In particular, the validity of the effective stress principle in finite poroelasticity and poroplasticity is established when the solid phase is incompressible. Even if the macroscopic strain applied to an elementary volume is infinitesimal, the strain field at the microscopic scale may not be infinitesimal. Hence, the simulation of the macroscopic behavior of this elementary volume in the framework of a micro-macro approach must take into account possible large strains at the microscopic scale. Copyright © 1999, Éditions Technip.