Description of hydraulic and strength properties of anisotropic geomaterials

In this paper, a simple generalization of Darcy’s law is proposed for the description of hydraulic properties of anisotropic porous materials. The coefficient of permeability is defined as a scalar valued function of orientation. The principal directions of permeability are determined from a fabric descriptor specifying the distribution of average pore size. An example is provided for identification of material parameters, which is based on an idealized “pipe network model”. A procedure for defining the anisotropy in strength properties, which incorporates a conceptually similar approach, is also reviewed and an illustrative example is provided.