Micromechanics of damage propagation in fluid-saturated cracked media

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a brief overview of the micromechanics approach to the modelling of crack-induced damage. To begin with, the main lines of the micromechanics reasoning are presented and applied to cracked media. We then introduce the so-called dilute and Mori-Tanaka homogenization schemes which are herein implemented in the context of a solid matrix weakened by opened or closed cracks. The above modelling is extended to the situation of fluid-filled cracks, yielding a micromechanics theory of poroelastic damage. Finally, the combination of the previous findings with a standard thermodynamics argument allows to deal with the essential question of damage evolution which is regarded here as the consequence of cracks propagation.