The poroelastic constants of multiple-porosity solids

Multiple-porosity models are commonly used to describe the poromechanical behavior of complex porous solids occurring in earth and life sciences. From the characterization standpoint, the poroelastic constants of such materials may be determined from the poroelastic constants of their single-porosity constituents. The uniqueness principle of the poroelastic energy density function is herein used to construct and solve a system of equations between the described sets of poroelastic constants in a multiple-porosity material. The method systematically applies to an arbitrary number of co-existing porosities. The presented energy-based approach resolves the perceived closure problem that was reported for solids with more than two porosity systems.