A MICRO-STRUCTURED CONTINUUM MODELING COMPACTING FLUID-SATURATED GROUNDS - THE EFFECTS OF PORE-SIZE SCALE PARAMETER

The effect of a ''pore-size'' length-scale parameter l on compaction o f grounds with fluid inclusions is studied. They are modelled as conti nua endowed with micro-structure by means of the macro-modelling proce dure proposed in [2]. We show the dependence of field evolution equati ons on the micro-structure parameter l and compare our model with the homogenized asymptotic ones. The consideration of the pore size l allo ws us to forecast the onset of micro-displacement waves as a consequen ce of a ground settling and to suggest a possible description of the g enesis of certain microearthquakes [5] [6].