Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Vol. 35, No. 2, pp.

183±193, 1998
# 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
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On Generalized Plane Strain Poroelasticity

A. H.-D. CHENG
Generalized plane strain is characterized by geometries of cylinders of ®nite
or in®nite length with boundary conditions that do not change in the direc-
tion of the generators. The resultant ®eld generally contain three-dimen-
sional stress and strain components, but has only two-dimensional spatial
dependency. In addition to the classical plane strain deformation, it admits
axial strain, warping, torsion, shear, bending, among other elementary defor-
mation modes. The study of generalized plane strain solutions has so far
been limited to elasticity. The present paper seeks the parallel development
for poroelasticity. Due to the mathematical diculty arising from the
coupled nature of poroelasticity, analyses here are restricted to materials
with orthotropic properties and cylindrical geometries whose longitudinal
axis coincides with one of the material principal axes. # 1998 Elsevier
Science Ltd.

INTRODUCTION
Many problems in mining, petroleum and geotechnical
engineering, such as tunnels, boreholes, dikes, and
retaining walls, are characterized by a cross-sectional
geometry that is invariant along the longitudinal direc-
tion. In these problems, the body may be considered
as in®nitely long. If boundary conditions on the side
surface do not change in the longitudinal direction, the
stress and strain states may also be invariant in that
direction. On the other hand, bodies of ®nite length,
such as cylindrical cores or prismatic bars, can be sub-
jected to a class of end conditions such as axial strain,
torsion or bending. Stresses and strains can remain
identical in the axial direction. In these problems,
three-dimensional components of stresses and strains
generally exist. However, their functional dependence
in space is only two-dimensional. Under these circum-
stances, it is generally possible to design two-dimen-
sional solution algorithms.
A well-known two-dimensional solution algorithm is
the ``plane strain'' solution in elasticity, in which the
displacement component perpendicular to the cross-
sections vanishes, but stress exists. However, more gen-
eral deformation and stress states can exist under the
afore-mentioned geometries and loading conditions.
Cross-sections can deform not only in-plane, but also
out-of-plane in the form of warping, bending, and
axial strain. Interest in these problems, known as ``gen-
eralized plane strain'' problems, has developed in the
last two decades in geomechanics community [1±4].
Not only systematic analytical solution techniques
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of
Delaware, Delaware 19716, U.S.A.
183
have been presented [1, 3], several commercial ®nite el-
ement codes, such as ABAQUS, ANSYS, and MARC,
and a boundary element code [6], have incorporated
certain limited generalized plane strain capabilities.
Such development has allowed the solution of three-
dimensional problems to be conducted in two-dimen-
sional geometries.
It should be emphasized that the progresses reported
above were accomplished in elasticity. For develop-
ment in poroelasticity, a recent ®nite element code [5]
has provided the equivalent limited capability of elastic
®nite elements. Otherwise, to the author's knowledge,
a rigorous examination of generalized plane strain in
poroelasticity has not been attempted. Geomaterials
are porous and often saturated with ¯uid. A number
of critical phenomena observed in geomechanical ®elds
have been attributed to poroelastic e€ects [7]. Due to
its importance, a parallel development of generalized
plane strain for poroelasticity should be useful in
many geomechanical applications.
The present paper attempts to follow a part of the
development in elasticity [1], and also to provide a
di€erent insight. Due to the mathematical diculty
arising from the existence of a time-dependent ¯ow
equation and a coupling between solid and ¯uid
equations, analyses here are restricted to materials
with orthotropic properties. Additionally, it is required
that the longitudinal axis of the cylinder coincides with
one of the material principle axes.
GOVERNING EQUATIONS
For the convenience of subsequent derivation, gov-
erning equations of poroelasticity are summarized as
follows [8±11].
184 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY

Constitutive relations (generalized Hooke's law):

si ˆ fsx sy sz tyz tzx txy g …6†
sij ˆ Mijkl ekl ÿ aij p …1†
ei ˆ fex ey ez gyz gzx gxy g …7†
p ˆ M…z ÿ aij eij † …2†
and
Equilibrium equations: si ˆ Mij ej ÿ ai p …8†
sij,j ˆ 0 …3†
p ˆ M…z ÿ ai ei † …9†
Darcy's law:
where the indices i, j = 1, 2, . . . , 6. Substituting
qi ˆ ÿkij p,j …4† Equation (9) into Equation (8), we obtain an alterna-
Continuity equation: tive constitutive expression:

@z si ˆ M uij ej ÿ Mai z …10†

‡ qi,i ˆ 0 …5†
@t where Miju is the undrained elastic modulus tensor
In the above sij is the total stress tensor, eij the total de®ned by the following relation:
strain tensor, p the pore pressure, z the variation of M uij ˆ Mij ‡ Mai aj …11†
¯uid content, qi the speci®c discharge vector, Mijkl the
drained elastic modulus tensor, aij the Biot e€ective For future reference, we also introduce the strain±s-
stress coecient tensor [11], M the Biot modulus, and tress relations:
kij the permeability tensor. The material coecients 1
can be nonlinear, i.e., dependent on the current stress ei ˆ Cij sj ‡ CBi p …12†
3
or strain state. We consider here the stresses sij and p
 
as incremental values from an initially equilibrated 1
state, hence gravitational body forces do not appear in z ˆ C p ‡ Bi s i …13†
3
Equations (3) and (4). This initial state, however, plays
a role in the evaluation of the stress or strain depen- in which Cij is the drained compliance tensor, C is a
dent material coecients, hence is implicitly incorpor- storage coecient, and Bi is a generalization of
Skempton pore pressure coecient B into tensor form.
ated.
Relations among the coecients can be found in
For the convenience of presentation, we shall
Cheng [11].
express the constitutive Equations (1) and (2) into the
so-called engineering notation. We denote ex, ey, ez as
extensional strains, e = ex+ey+ez as dilation, gxy, gyz, GENERALIZED PLANE STRAIN
gzx as shear strains, sx, sy, sz as normal (tensile) stres- Figure 1 shows cylindrical surfaces bounding in-
ses, and txy, tyz, tzx as shear stresses. The tensor ex- terior or exterior, simply-connected or multiply-con-
pressions become: nected, ®nite-length or in®nite-length regions. For

Fig. 1. Generalized plane strain geometries.

 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY
convenience, the z-axis is taken as parallel to the gen-
erators of the cylinder, and will be referred to as the
longitudinal axis. Material properties are either homo-
geneous or heterogeneous. In the case of hetero-
geneous material, properties are allowed to vary in the
plane normal to the longitudinal axis, i.e., as functions
of x and y, but not in the longitudinal (z) direction.
Constitutive laws given in the form of Equations (8)
and (9) can either be linear, or nonlinear (stress or
strain dependent). Boundary conditions in the form of
surface tractions, pore pressure, displacements, and
normal ¯ux must not change in the longitudinal direc-
tion. For ®nite-length cylinders, boundary conditions
at the end surfaces must belong to a special class that
allows the generalized plane strain solution to exist.
When these conditions are met, every plane perpen-
dicular to the generators is a plane of symmetry. The
resultant stresses and strains may have three-dimen-
sional components, but are functions of two spatial
dimensions (x, y) and time t only. Under these con-
ditions, we expect that two-dimensional solution algor-
ithms should exist.
The above discussion of the existence of generalized
plane strain is based on physical arguments. A math-
ematical statement should be provided. We shall de®ne
the state of generalized plane strain as a state in which
all in- and out-of-plane strain components are inde-
pendent of the longitudinal coordinate z. By the virtue
of constitutive Equations (8) and (9), it is clear that all
stress components are z-independent as well. This is
summarized as follows:
si ˆsi …x, y, t†; p ˆ p…x, y, t†;
ei ˆei …x, y, t†; z ˆ z…x, y, t† …14†
Although physical argument suggests that generalized
plane strain state can exist for linear or nonlinear,
homogeneous or inhomogeneous, isotropic or aniso-
tropic materials, due to the mathematical diculty
involved, any fruitful discussion from this point on
shall be restricted to linear, homogeneous, yet isotropic
and anisotropic, materials.
First, it is realized that the strains cannot be arbi-
trary functions of x and y. They must satisfy compat-
ibility conditions. Taking into consideration the z-
independence, the St. Venant compatibility equations
are reduced to the following:
@ 2 ex @ 2 ey @ 2 gxy
‡ ˆ …15†
@y2 @x 2 @ x@y
@ 2 gzx @ 2 gyz
ÿ ˆ0 …16†
@x@ y @x 2
@ 2 gyz @ 2 gzx
ÿ ˆ0 …17†
@ x@y @ y2
@ 2 ez
ˆ0 …18†
@x 2
185
@ 2 ez
ˆ0 …19†
@y2
@ 2 ez
ˆ0 …20†
@x@y
Equations (18)±(20) show that ez must be restricted to
this form:
ez ˆ A…t†x ‡ B…t†y ‡ C…t† …21†
By the kinematic equation,
@uz
ez ˆ …22†
@z
it is easily shown that the z-displacement is given by:
uz ˆ ‰A…t†x ‡ B…t†y ‡ C…t†Šz ‡ h…x, y, t† …23†
Utilizing the rest of the kinematic equations and the
functional dependence shown in Equation (14), we ob-
serve that
A…t† 2
ux ˆ ÿ z ÿ D…t†yz ‡ F…t†z ‡ f…x, y, t† …24†
2
B…t† 2
uy ˆ ÿ z ‡ D…t†xz ‡ H…t†z ‡ g…x, y, t† …25†
2
These are the most general forms of a displacement
®eld satisfying the generalized plane strain conditions.
It will be demonstrated later that A and B are associ-
ated with bending deformation, C with axial strain, D
with torsion, F and H with shear deformation, h with
warping, and f and g are related to the classical plane
strain deformation.
The compatibility requirements Equations (15)±(20)
are based on kinematic relations among displacements
and strains, which are identical for poroelasticity as
for elasticity. A discussion based on cases treated in
elasticity hence is useful. As there is no widely agreed
upon de®nition of generalized plane strain, the com-
parison varies. Cases considered by Wu and Li [4] and
also Rencis and Huang [12] correspond to setting
D = F = H = h = 0. The ``complete plane strain''
studied by Brady and Bray [2] is equivalent to setting
A = B = D = F = H = 0. Textbook [13] de®nition of
generalized plane strain is the simplest, given by
A = B = D = F = H = h = 0. Result obtained by
Lekhnitskii [1] (see Equations (18) and (19)) is the clo-
sest to the present case, yet it still corresponds to
assigning F = H = 0. In fact, the term ``generalized
plane strain'' was used by Lekhnitskii [1] to refer to a
simpler case (see Equation 25.2 in Lekhnitskii) [1] of
A = B = C = D = F = H = 0, which leads to the
condition ui=ui(x, y) rather than ei=ei(x, y). Here we
shall retain the more general de®nition as stated in
Equation (14).
Equations (23)±(25) contain two parts, a part given
by coecients A, B, C, D, F, H, which are identi®ed
with certain elementary solutions, and a part de®ned
186 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY

by the functions f, g, h, which must be solved as ing of an incremental stress, no volumetric defor-
boundary value problems. Since the system discussed mation is generated. Since the pore space is not
here is assumed to be linear, these solutions can be iso- compressed, no pore pressure rise and no di€usion
lated and then superposed. Such a study will be con- results. The solution of the poroelastic problem hence
ducted in the following. However, while most of these is purely elastic.
solutions are elementary for elasticity, they are not At the instant of a loading, ¯uid ¯ow cannot take
necessarily so for poroelasticity. To keep the math- place as it requires in®nite pressure gradient to move
ematical treatment tractable, it becomes necessary to ¯uid in in®nitesimal time. This physical condition is
henceforth restrict our discussion to materials that are translated into z = 0. According to Equation (13), a
orthotropic. In addition, the geometry must be limited Skempton pore pressure e€ect exists [11]:
such that the cylinder's longitudinal axis is parallel to 1
one of the material principal axes. p ˆ ÿ Bi si …29†
3
For orthotropic material, Equation (29) becomes
ORTHOTROPY
1
Since anisotropic poroelasticity is not well known, p ˆ ÿ …Bx sx ‡ By sy ‡ Bz sz † …30†
3
we shall present a few basic facts for easy reference.
For general anisotropy, the constitutive relations in For any induced stress ®eld, if the right-hand side of
Equations (8) and (9) contain a total of 28 indepen- Equation (30) is equal to zero, the solution will be
dent material coecients (twenty-one Mij, six ai and purely elastic.
one M) [11]. For materials with three mutually orthog-
onal planes of elastic symmetry, known as orthotropy, Pure shear
there exist thirteen independent material coecients The simple displacement ®eld
(nine Mij, three ai, and one M):
2 3 ux ˆ F…t†z …31†
M11 M12 M13 0 0 0
6 M12 M22 M23 0 0 0 7
6 7 uy ˆ u z ˆ 0 …32†
6 M13 M23 M33 0 0 0 7
Mij ˆ 6
6 0
7 …26†
6 0 0 M44 0 0 77 is associated with a pure shear in the x±z plane. The
4 0 0 0 0 M55 0 5 stresses obtained from constitutive Equation (8) con-
0 0 0 0 0 M66 tain only one non-vanishing component:
tzx ˆ F…t†M55 …33†
ai ˆ f ax ay az 0 0 0g …27†
The drained elastic moduli Mij can be expressed in sx ˆ sy ˆ sz ˆ txy ˆ tyz ˆ 0 …34†
terms of engineering constants such as Young's
We may consider a prism of rectangular cross-section
moduli, Poisson's ratios, etc. Those expressions and a
in x±y plane and a ®nite height in z. The surfaces per-
full discussion of anisotropic poroelasticity are found
pendicular to y-axis is free from surface traction and
in Cheng [11]. Also, we shall assume that the hydraulic
normal displacement. On surfaces normal to the x-
property, namely the permeability tensor, is also ortho-
and z-axis, a shear tzx is applied. The body is under a
tropic with principal axes coinciding with the elastic
constant shear. According to Equation (30) there is no
ones, hence
2 3 pore pressure generated, hence this elastic state exists
kx 0 0 at all times.
kij ˆ 4 0 ky 0 5 …28† A second pure shear solution is found in the y±z
0 0 kz plane and de®ned by the coecient H(t) in
Equation (25).

Warping
ELASTIC SOLUTIONS Warping is associated with the function h in
Under drained (p = 0, or more precisely, zero pore Equation (23):
pressure variation) and undrained (z = 0) conditions, u x ˆ uy ˆ 0 …35†
poroelastic material behaves as an elastic one charac-
terized by drained (Mij) and undrained (Muij) elastic uz ˆ h…x, y, t† …36†
moduli, respectively. This is evident from the constitu-
tive Equations (8) and (10). These elastic states gener- It is easily shown that
ally exist only at the instant of loading (undrained), sx ˆ sy ˆ sz ˆ txy ˆ 0 …37†
and at in®nite time with access to a drainage surface
(drained). In between, the phenomenon is transient. The only non-zero components are the shear stresses,
However, there exist the possibility that upon the load- tyz and tzx. According to Equation (30) there is no
 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY 187

pore pressure generation and an elastic solution is far-®eld stresses are removed and then added back.
guaranteed. This type of elastic problems belongs to a The subtraction of deviatoric stresses generates shear
class known as anti-plane problems which has been stresses on the borehole wall which becomes a cause
extensively studied [15, 16]. for warping. This indeed is the situation found in the
As a consequence of Equation (37), the x- and y- solution of elastic [2] and poroelastic [17] circular bore-
component equilibrium equations are identically satis- holes. A second source for warping comes from the
®ed, and the z-component equation takes the form torsion of a cylinder. This is discussed next.
@tzx @tyz
‡ ˆ0 …38†
@x @y
Torsion
The constitutive equations for the surviving stresses
The displacement ®eld
are
ux ˆ ÿD…t†yz …46†
@uz
tyz ˆ M44 …39†
@y
uy ˆ D…t†xz …47†
@uz gives a torsion about the z-axis with D(t) as the twist
tzx ˆ M55 …40†
@x per unit length. For a ®nite length cylinder, torsion
can be applied by prescribing displacements ux and uy
Combining Equations (39) and (40) with Equation (38),
at the ends given by Equations (46) and (47). This dis-
we obtain the following elliptic equation in two dimen-
placement ®eld generates shear stresses tyz and tzx.
sions
For problems in which the cylinder side surface is
@ 2 uz @ 2 uz stress free, these stresses violate the condition. As a
M55 ‡ M 44 ˆ0 …41†
@x 2 @ y2 consequence, the x±y plane must warp to compensate
for these shear stresses. Torsion problems hence must
Typical boundary conditions for Equation (41) are be solved together with warping. This requires the
either uz given, or tz given on G, where G is the con- introduction of
tour of cylinder cross-section on the x±y plane, and tz
is the z-component boundary traction de®ned as uz ˆ h…x, y, t† …48†

tz ˆ tzx nx ‡ tyz ny …42† From the constitutive equations, the following stresses
vanish
with nx and ny, respectively, the x- and y-component
of the unit outward normal n on G. Equation (42) is sx ˆ sy ˆ sz ˆ txy ˆ 0 …49†
then expressed in terms of displacement variable as According to Equation (30), no pore pressure is gener-
@uz @uz ated and this again is an elastic solution.
M55 nx ‡ M44 ny ˆ tz on G …43† The system can be solved as follows. Based on the
@x @y
constitutive equations, the remaining shear stresses are
where values of tz are considered given. Equation (41)
@uz
has been solved for warping of orthotropic cylinders in tyz ˆ M44 D…t†x ‡ M44 …50†
elliptic and rectangular cross-sections [14]. However, in @y
general Equation (41) needs to be solved by two-
@ uz
dimensional numerical methods. tzx ˆ ÿM55 D…t†y ‡ M55 …51†
Also of interest is the special case of transverse iso- @x
tropy with x±y plane as the plane of rotational sym- Substitution into the equilibrium Equation (38) pro-
metry. In that case, M44=M55=G', where G' is the duces the identical governing equation for as warping
shear modulus normal to the plane of isotropy. problems, i.e., Equation (41) for orthotropic material,
Equation (41) reduces to the Laplace equation and Equation (44) for transversely isotropic material.
The boundary condition, following Equations (42),
@ 2 uz @ 2 uz
‡ 2 ˆ0 …44† (43), (50) and (51), is
@x 2 @y
@ uz @ uz
and the boundary condition Equation (43) becomes M55 nx ‡ M44 ny ˆ D…t†…M55 nx y ÿ M44 ny x† on G
@x @y
@uz tz …52†
ˆ 0 on G …45†
@n G
The ®nal solution consists of ux and uy given as
Warping can exist for exterior domain problems such Equations (46) and (47), and uz solved from
as excavation of boreholes and tunnels. If a borehole Equation (41). Stresses can then be evaluated from
is drilled in a direction that is inclined to the principal Equations (50) and (51).
axes of far-®eld stresses, far-®eld deviatoric stress com- For the special case of isotropic material with circu-
ponents are present. In a standard solution procedure lar cross-section, Equation (52) becomes
188 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY

@uz @p
ˆ0 on G …53† qy ˆ ÿky …68†
@n @y
The solution is trivial, uz=0. Hence a circular cylinder
subject to the above torsion does not warp. @ z @qx @qy
‡ ‡ ˆ0 …69†
@t @x @y

POROELASTIC SOLUTIONS Solution of the plane strain system can be achieved

through the following Navier equations:
After extracting the elastic solutions, the remaining
are poroelastic solutions. In the discussion to follow, @ 2 ux @ 2 uy @ 2 ux @p
M11 2
‡ …M12 ‡ M66 † ‡ M66 2 ÿ ax ˆ0
we also isolate the individual parts for the clarity of @x @x@ y @y @x
presentation. …70†

Plane strain @ 2 uy @ 2 ux @ 2 uy @p
The classical plane strain is given by the following M66 ‡ …M 12 ‡ M 66 † ‡ M 22 ÿ ay ˆ0
@x2 @ x@y @ y2 @y
displacement ®eld
…71†
ux ˆ f …x, y, t† …54†
and the di€usion equation
   
uy ˆ g…x, y, t† …55† @p @ 2p @ 2p @ 2 ux @ 2 uy
ÿ M kx 2 ‡ ky 2 ˆ ÿM ax ‡ ay
@t @x @y @ t@ x @t@y
uz ˆ 0 …56† …72†
These lead to the stress±strain relations These three coupled equations are used to solve for
sx ˆ M11 ex ‡ M12 ey ÿ ax p …57† the three unknowns, ux, uy, and p. For isotropy, they
reduce to the well-known form [10]
sy ˆ M12 ex ‡ M22 ey ÿ ay p …58† G @e @p
Gr2 ux ‡ ÿa ˆ0 …73†
1 ÿ 2 @x @x
txy ˆ M66 gxy …59†
G @e @p
Gr2 uy ‡ ÿa ˆ0 …74†
tzx ˆ tyz ˆ 0 …60† 1 ÿ 2 @y @y

p ˆ M…z ÿ ax ex ÿ ay ey † …61† @p @e
ÿ Mkr2 p ‡ Ma ˆ 0 …75†
@t @t
Although the z-component displacement vanishes, the
z-component normal stress exists by Poisson e€ect in which e = ex+ey is the two-dimensional dilation.
The system of equations can be solved with a set of
1 well-posed boundary conditions in ux, uy and qn, or tx,
sz ˆ ‰…M13 M22 ÿ M23 M12 †…sx ‡ ax p†
M11 M22 ÿ M 212 ty and p, where qn=qxnx+qyny is the normal ¯ux on
the boundary G. If the cylinder is of ®nite length, the
‡ …M23 M11 ÿ M13 M12 †…sy ‡ ay p†Š ÿ az p …62† end conditions tx=ty=uz=qz=0 must be prescribed.
For materials of transverse isotropy and isotropy, re-
spectively, the above reduces to
sz ˆ  0 …sx ‡ sy ‡ 2ax p† ÿ az p …63†
Axial strain
Axial strain is given by the term
sz ˆ …sx ‡ sy ‡ 2ap† ÿ ap …64†
uz ˆ C…t†z …76†
where n is Poisson's ratio in the plane of isotropy x±y,
and n' is the one perpendicular to that plane. Depending on the boundary conditions on the side
The governing equations are two-dimensional: surface of the cylinder, axial strain generally creates
@ sx @txy displacements in the x±y plane. It needs to be solved
‡ ˆ0 …65† together with the plane strain problem, given as
@x @y
ux ˆ f…x, y, t† …77†
@txy @ sy
‡ ˆ0 …66†
@x @y uy ˆ g…x, y, t† …78†
With the above displacement components, we ®nd that
@p
qx ˆ ÿkx …67† the Navier Equations (70) and (71) remain unchanged.
@x
The di€usion Equation (72) however is modi®ed:
 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY 189

 
@p @ 2p @ 2p
ÿ M kx 2 ‡ ky 2
@t @x @y
 
@ 2 ux @ 2 uy dC…t†
ˆ ÿM ax ‡ ay ÿ Maz …79†
@t@x @t@ y dt
The solution of the system Equations (70), (71) and
(79) is the same as a plane strain problem subject to
the same boundary conditions on the cylinder side sur-
face, except that there exist a pore pressure volumetric
source term on the right-hand-side of Equation (79)
Fig. 2. Bending of a cantilever beam.
that is proportional to the rate of axial strain, dez/dt.
An alternative way to solve the axial strain problem
is to introduce a set of new variables: uz ˆ B…t†yz …90†
sx 0 ˆ sx ÿ C…t†M u13 …80† It is easily shown that these shear stresses vanish
tyz ˆ tzx ˆ 0 …91†
sy 0 ˆ sy ÿ C…t†M u23 …81†
which is the same as the plane strain and axial strain
sz 0 ˆ sz ÿ C…t†M u33 …82† cases.
Following Equations (65)±(69), we ®nd these Navier
p 0 ˆ p ‡ C…t†Maz …83† and di€usion equations that form a two-dimensional
solution system:
where Muij are undrained elastic moduli, de®ned as [11]
M uij ˆ Mij ‡ Mai aj for i, j ˆ 1, 2, 3 …84† @ 2 ux @ 2 uy @ 2 ux @p
M11 2
‡ …M 12 ‡ M 66 † ‡ M 66 2
ÿ ax ˆ0
@x @x@ y @y @x
Other variables, ux, uy, txy, qx, qy, and z, remain the …92†
same. This set of new variables satis®es all the two-
dimensional plane strain equations, Equations (57)± @ 2 uy @ 2 ux
(75). The important bearing of this equivalent system M66 ‡ …M 12 ‡ M 66 †
@x 2 @ x@y
lies in the numerical solutions. The same computer
program developed for plane strain problems can be @ 2 uy @p
used for axial strain problems without modi®cation. ‡ M22 2
ÿ ay ˆ ÿM23 B…t† …93†
@y @y
The e€ect of axial strain is to modify the boundary
conditions of pressure and tractions to:  
@p @ 2p @ 2p
tx 0 ˆ tx ÿ nx C…t†M u13 …85† ÿ M kx 2 ‡ ky 2
@t @x @y
 
ty 0 ˆ ty ÿ ny C…t†M u23 …86† @ 2 ux @ 2 uy dB…t†
ˆ ÿM ax ‡ ay ÿ Maz y …94†
@t@x @t@ y dt
p 0 ˆ p ‡ C…t†Maz on G …87† Comparing to the plane strain case (Equations (70)±
where tx, ty, and p are the original boundary values. (72)), we ®nd a term equivalent to a body force in the
Boundary conditions in displacements and normal ¯ux y-direction in Equation (93), and a y-dependent pore
are unchanged. pressure production term in Equation (94). These extra
terms can be removed as particular solutions. Or, we
can de®ne a set of new variables:
Bending
M u23 B…t†y2
Bending of a prismatic bar is associated with coe- u y 0 ˆ uy ‡ …95†
2M u22
cients A(t) and B(t) in Equation (23). Similar to the
axial strain problem, bending is generally accompanied
by plane strain deformation to maintain traction free B…t†y
sx 0 ˆ sx ‡ …M u23 M u12 ÿ M u13 M u22 † …96†
side surfaces. For bending about the y-axis, such as M u22
the cantilever beam shown in Fig. 2, displacements are
characterized by B…t†y
sz 0 ˆ sz ‡ …M u23 M u23 ÿ M u22 M u33 † …97†
ux ˆ f …x, y, t† …88† M u22

B…t† 2 MB…t†y
uy ˆ ÿ z ‡ g…x, y, t† …89† p0 ˆ p ‡ …M u22 az ÿ M u23 ay † …98†
2 M u22
190 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY
0 MB…t†
qy ˆ qy ÿ ky …M u22 az ÿ M u23 ay †
M u22
Other variables, ux, sy, txy, qx and z, remain
unchanged. These new variables satisfy the identical
equations for plane strain, Equations (57)±(75). Hence
for numerical solution, identical computer codes can
be used. However, the original traction free boundary
conditions
tx ˆ ty ˆ p ˆ 0 on G …
should be modi®ed to
B…t†ynx
tx 0 ˆ …M u23 M u12 ÿ M u13 M u22 † …
M u22
ty 0 ˆ 0 …
MB…t†y
p0 ˆ …M u22 az ÿ M u23 ay † on G …
M u22
EXAMPLES
To illustrate the use of these ideas for analytical sol-
utions of generalized plane strain problems, a few
basic problems are examined as follows.
Inclined borehole
An inclined borehole problem is demonstrated in
Fig. 3(a). We note that the word ``inclined'' is used to
indicate that the borehole axis is inclined to the princi-
pal axes (x', y', z') of far-®eld stresses. When the coor-
dinate system of the borehole (x, y, z) is adopted, the
far-®eld stress components consist of normal as well as
shear stresses [Fig. 3(b)]. The standard solution tech-
nique is to remove these far-®led stresses by subtract-
ing them from the solution and adding them back
later on. Consequently, the modi®ed boundary con-
ditions on the borehole wall include not only normal
Fig. 3. An inclined borehole problem.
stresses and pressure, but also shear stresses. These
…99† boundary conditions can be decomposed and studied
as individual problems. Using this approach, the
inclined borehole problem has been examined for
isotropic [17] as well as transversely isotropic [18] ma-
terial properties. In particular, the problem is solved as
the superposition of three sub-problems.
. Problem 1: a poroelastic plane strain problem. The
solution is available from earlier work [19].
. Problem 2: an elastic uni-axial stress. The exca-
100† vation of the borehole does not perturb the stress ®eld,
hence the elastic state remains unchanged.
. Problem 3: an anti-plane shear (warping) problem.
Its solution, as demonstrated above, is purely elastic.
101†
Hence by the superposition of a few simpler, lower-
dimensional problems, this seemingly complicated
102† three-dimensional problem can be solved without extra
mathematical work. For further detail of the inclined
borehole solution and its applications, the reader is
103† referred to Refs. [17, 18, 20].
Mandel's problem
In Fig. 4, the geometry of Mandel's problem is illus-
trated. In the original problem, a constant (step) force
2F is applied to the top and bottom rigid, frictionless,
and impermeable plates. The rate of strain C(t) in
Equation (21) is an implicit function of time which
must be determined as a part of the solution.
Assuming that the sample is in®nitely long (or con-
®ned as plane strain) in the y-direction, the problem
has been solved for the special case of incompressible
solid and ¯uid constituents [21], for the full poroelastic
model [22], and with transversely isotropic material
properties [23].
In the following, a di€erent problem is examined to
demonstrate the generalized plane strain nature. Here
we assume that the loading on the plates is under dis-
placement, rather than force control. Given a vertical
strain rate C(t), the displacements are
ux ˆ f…x, t† …104†
 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY 191

p = 0 at x = 2a, and initial condition of p = 0 at

t = 0ÿ is

4po X
1
…ÿ1†n‡1
pˆ
p nˆ1 2n ÿ 1
   
…2n ÿ 1†2 p2 cx t …2n ÿ 1†px
 exp ÿ cos …114†
a2 2a

where
Co M…ax M13 ÿ az M11 †
po ˆ p…x, 0‡ † ˆ …115†
M u11

is the initial pore pressure rise resulting from the

Skempton e€ect. We note that po can also be obtained
by invoking the undrained condition at t = 0+. Using
Fig. 4. Mandel's problem. Equations (10) and (30), we obtain a di€erent ex-
pression
uy ˆ 0 …105†
Co
po ˆ ‰By …M u13 M u12 ÿ M u11 M u23 †
3M u11
uz ˆ C…t†z …106†
‡ Bz …M u13 M u13 ÿ M u11 M u33 †Š …116†
The Navier Equation (70) and the di€usion
Equation (79), respectively, become Using Equation (11) and the relations
2
@ ux @p Bx M u11 ‡ By M u12 ‡ Bz M u13
M11 ÿ ax ˆ0 …107† ax ˆ …117†
@x 2 @x 3M

@p @ 2p @ 2 ux dC…t† Bx M u13 ‡ By M u23 ‡ Bz M u33

ÿ Mkx 2 ˆ ÿMax ÿ Maz …108† az ˆ …118†
@t @x @t@x dt 3M
Substitution of displacements, Equations (104)±(106), it can be shown [11] that Equations (115) and (116)
into constitutive Equation (8) shows that are identical.
txy ˆ tyz ˆ tzx ˆ 0 …109† We notice that Equation (114) is the same as the sol-
ution of heat di€usion of a bar initially at constant
The x-component equilibrium Equation (3) and the
boundary condition sx(a, t) = 0 lead to temperature cooled from both ends [24] to zero tem-
perature. Due to the nature of di€usion equation, pore
sx ˆ 0 …110† pressure drops monotonically to zero. Ironically, the
Using Equation (110) in constitutive Equation (57), we well-known Mandel±Cryer e€ect in which pore press-
obtain ure rises above its initial value before it declines, is not
@ux 1 observed. This is a consequence of di€erent loading
ˆ ‰ax p ÿ M13 C…t†Š …111† condition from the original Mandel problem [21]. In
@x M11
the Mandel problem, a constant force is applied and
Substitution of Equation (111) into Equation (108) maintained throughout. As pore pressure dissipates,
produces a di€usion equation for p material e€ectively softens and a ``consolidation'' is
@p 1 @ 2 p M…ax M13 ÿ az M11 † dC…t† observed. The rate of vertical strain de/dt feeds the
ÿ ˆ …112† right-hand-side of Equation (112) as a pore pressure
@t cx @ x 2 M u11 dt
production term. Between the competition of pore
where pressure dissipation and production, a non-monotonic
M u11 behavior results. In the present modi®ed problem, the
cx ˆ …113†
MM11 kx vertical strain is maintained at a constant. As the ma-
terial e€ectively softens, the vertical stress relaxes.
is the x-component consolidation coecient.
Since there is no active mechanism for pore pressure
Assume that the vertical strain is applied as a step
load, C(t) = CoH(t ÿ 0), where H is Heaviside unit generation, a regular di€usion phenomenon is
step function. (Here we note that for a compressive observed.
strain, Co should take negative value.) Solution of Further solution is given as follows. Horizontal dis-
Equation (112) subject to boundary conditions of placement is obtained by integrating Equation (111)
192 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY

Co M13 Co ax M…ax M13 ÿ az M11 † uz ˆ B…t†yz …128†

ux ˆ ÿ x‡
M11 M11 M u11
The loading is applied by imposing a rigid, frictionless,
 
8a X
1
…ÿ1†n‡1 …2n ÿ 1†2 p2 cx t and impermeable plate at the end of the beam. The

2 exp ÿ displacement is prescribed as
p nˆ1 2n ÿ 1 a2
  uz ˆ B…t†yl at x ˆ l …129†
…2n ÿ 1†px
 cos …119† where l is the length of the beam. The Navier and dif-
2a
fusion equations are
We note that the in®nite sum shown as the second line
converges to x and 0, respectively, as t 4 0 and 1. @ 2 uy @p
M22 ÿ ay ˆ ÿM23 B…t† …130†
With the help of Equation (11), it is handily proven @y2 @y
that the small time and large time limits of ux are
Co M u13 @p @ 2p @ 2 uy dB…t†
ux …x, 0‡ † ˆ ÿ x …120† ÿ Mky 2 ˆ ÿMay ÿ Maz y …131†
M u11 @t @y @ t@y dt
The stress-free condition at y = 2b, where 2b is the
Co M13 thickness of the beam, leads to
ux …x, 1† ˆ ÿ x …121†
M11
sy ˆ 0 …132†
The vertical stress is then obtained from constitutive
equation: Following similar procedure as in the Mandel pro-
blem, the following di€usion equation is obtained
1
sz ˆ ‰…M11 M33 ÿ M 213 †Co ‡ …M13 ax ÿ M11 az †pŠ @ p 1 @ 2 p M…ay M23 ÿ az M22 † dB…t†
M11 ÿ ˆ y …133†
…122† @t cy @ y2 M u22 dt

Finally, the force acting on the top and bottom of where

rigid plates is M u22
…a cy ˆ …134†
M11 M33 ÿ M13 M13 MM22 ky
2F ˆ2 sz dx ˆ 2aCo
0 M11
is the y-component consolidation coecient. The pro-
M…ax M13 ÿ az M11 † 8 X1 2
1 blem can be solved as given moment, or given displa-
‡ 2aCo u
2 cement at the end. The former leads to an implicit
M11 M 11 p nˆ1 …2n ÿ 1†2
boundary condition. For simplicity, we assume that
  the displacement is prescribed as a step loading, i.e.,
…2n ÿ 1†2 p2 cx t
 exp ÿ …123† B(t) = BoH(t ÿ 0) in Equation (129). Solution of
a2
Equation (133) is
The limiting values are
Bo M…ay M23 ÿ az M22 † 2b X
1
…ÿ1†nÿ1
Mu Mu ÿMu Mu pˆ u
F…0‡ † ˆ aCo 11 33 u 13 13 …124† M 22 p nˆ1 n
M 11
 
n 2 p2 c y t npy
exp ÿ sin …135†
M11 M33 ÿ M13 M13 b2 b
F…1† ˆ aCo …125†
M11
with the small time limit
Bo M…ay M23 ÿ az M22 †
p… y, 0‡ † ˆ y …136†
M u22
Bending of cantilever The de¯ection is
To avoid lengthy mathematics, the demonstration is Bo M23 2 Bo ay M…ay M23 ÿ az M22 †
restricted to a one-dimensional problem by solving the uy ˆ ÿ y ‡
2M22 2M22 M u22
bending of a cantilever. Referring to Fig. 2, the
``beam'' cross-section extends to in®nity in the x-direc- 8b2 X
1
…ÿ1†nÿ1
tion (perpendicular to the paper). The displacement

p2 nˆ1 n2
®eld is characterized by
   
ux ˆ 0 …126† n 2 p2 c y t 2 npy
 exp ÿ sin …137†
b2 2b
B…t† 2
uy ˆ ÿ z ‡ g… y, t† …127† For the series converging to y2 and 0, respectively, for
2
t 4 0 and 1, the limits are
 CHENG: GENERALISED PLANE STRAIN POROELASTICITY 193

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