Modeling the effective permeability of microcracked materials using continuum and lattice micromechanics

Using the framework of the mean-field homogenization method, we propose a continuum and a lattice version of the cascade micromechanics model for the estimation of the effective permeability of microcracked materials. Estimates for the critical microcrack density below which the REV becomes effectively impermeable are derived for both the continuum and the lattice idealizations. A validation example that compares model predictions with direct numerical simulations for the effective permeability as a function of the microcrack volume fraction is provided. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)