MICROSTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WAVE-PROPAGATION IN A SATURATED POROUS-MEDIUM

The mechanism of dynamic interaction of the phases in a model of a sat urated porous medium is investigated. An idealized matrix deformation model in the form of close-packed identical spheres immersed in a comp ressible liquid is used to establish several deformation characteristi cs of the investigated medium, in particular, the influence of the geo metrical structure of the phase interface and the elastic properties o f the interstitial liquid on the compressibility of the medium. A hydr odynamic model in the form of a planar pore channel filled with a visc ous liquid and bounded by movable walls is used to calculate the struc ture of the interstitial flows associated with wave propagation. The d ependence of the filtration return flows on the properties of the medi um and the wave parameters is determined. It is shown that these flows influence the wave propagation velocity and attenuation.