Nonlinear Biot waves in porous media with application to unconsolidated granular media.

The nonlinear propagation through porous media is investigated in the framework of Biot theory. For illustration, and considering the current interest for the determination of the elastic properties of granular media, the case of nonlinear propagation in "model" granular media (disordered packings of noncohesive elastic beads of the same size embedded in a visco-thermal fluid) is considered. The solutions of linear Biot waves are first obtained, considering the appropriate geometrical and physical parameters of the medium. Then, making use of the method of successive approximations of nonlinear acoustics, the solutions for the second harmonic Biot waves are derived by considering a quadratic nonlinearity in the solid frame constitutive law (which takes its origin from the high nonlinearity of contacts between grains). The propagation in a semi-infinite medium with velocity dispersion, frequency dependent dissipation, and nonlinearity is first analyzed. The case of a granular medium slab with rigid boundaries, often considered in experiments, is then presented. Finally, the importance of mode coupling between solid and fluid waves is evaluated, depending on the actual fluid, the bead diameter, or the applied static stress on the beads. The application of these results to other media supporting Biot waves (porous ceramics, polymer foams, etc.) is straightforward.