4

Governing Equations

4.0 CHAPTER OVERVIEW

The governing equations for fluid flow in a fully saturated, poroelastic

medium are formulated in this chapter. The basic variables of poroelasticity
are six stress components, three displacement components, pore pressure, and
increment of fluid content. The six strain components are defined in terms
of the three displacement components (cf. Eqn. 2.7). The eleven unknowns
are determined from (1) seven constitutive equations—six for strain (or
stress) components, and one for pore pressure (or increment of fluid content);
(2) three force equilibrium equations—one for each coordinate direction; and
(3) an inhomogeneous pressure diffusion equation, which contains the first
time derivative of stress or strain, obtained by combining Darcy’s law with
the requirement of fluid continuity (conservation of fluid mass).
The mechanical problem is elastostatic, which means that static equilib-
rium obtains for each instant of time—that is, mechanical equilibrium is
assumed to be attained instantaneously. In reality, a finite amount of time is
required for a dynamic wave to transmit stress changes across the problem
domain, but the wave propagation term is ignored in the quasistatic approxi-
mation. If a stress or fluid pressure change is suddenly applied to a poroelastic
body, displacements and pore pressure within each representative elementary
volume (REV) adjust instantaneously to accommodate this change to main-
tain a state of internal force equilibrium. Subsequent time-dependent fluid
diffusion occurs as a result of the delaying effects of finite permeability and
storage.
Coupling occurs among the equations because pore pressure (or increment
of fluid content) appears in the force equilibrium equations, and because
mean stress (or volumetric strain) appears in the fluid-flow equation. These
coupled equations form the core of the theory of poroelasticity. The richness
and variety of poroelastic phenomena arise from interactions between the
mechanical requirement of force equilibrium and the fluid-flow requirement
of continuity. The linear poroelastic problem requires that the mechanical
equilibrium equations and the fluid continuity equation be satisfied simulta-
neously, and that initial and boundary conditions are specified.