A continuum model for deformable, second gradient porous media partially saturated with compressible fluids

In this paper a general set of equations of motion and duality conditions to be imposed at macroscopic surfaces of discontinuity in partially saturated, solid-second gradient porous media are derived by means of the Least Action Principle. The need of using a second gradient (of solid displacement) theory is shown to be necessary to include in the model effects related to gradients of porosity. The proposed governing equations include, in addition to balance of linear momentum for a second gradient porous continuum and to balance of water and air chemical potentials, the equations describing the evolution of solid and fluid volume fractions as supplementary independent kinematical fields. The presented equations are general in the sense that they are all written in terms of a macroscopic potential Psi which depends on the introduced kinematical fields and on their space and time derivatives. These equations are suitable to describe the motion of a partially saturated, second gradient porous medium in the elastic and hyper-elastic regime. In the second part of the paper an additive decomposition for the potential Psi is proposed which allows for describing some particular constitutive behaviors of the considered medium. While the potential associated to the solid matrix deformation is chosen in the form proposed by Cowin and Nunziato (1981) and Nunziato and Cowin (1979) and the potentials associated to water and air compressibility are chosen to assume a simple quadratic form, the macroscopic potentials associated to capillarity phenomena between water and air have to be derived with some additional considerations. In particular, two simple examples of microscopic distributions of water and air are considered: that of spherical bubbles and that of coalesced tubes of bubbles. Both these cases are suitable to describe capillarity phenomena in porous media which are close to the saturation state. Finally, an example of a simple microscopic distribution of water and air giving rise to a macroscopic capillary potential depending on the second gradient of fluid displacement is presented, showing the need of a further generalization of the proposed theoretical framework accounting for fluid second gradient effects. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.