Porous Media Gel Growth

The swelling gel material model allows for modeling of the growth of gel particles that swell and trap wetting liquid in a partially saturated porous medium.

See Also
In Other Guides
Elastic Behavior of Porous Materials

The swelling gel material model:

  • is intended for use in moisture absorption problems, which typically involve polymeric materials (such as in the analysis of diapers); and
  • can be used in the analysis of coupled pore liquid flow and porous medium stress.

Input Data Description
Radius of gel particles when dry Radius of gel particles when completely dry, r a d r y .
Full swollen radius of gel particles Full swollen radius of gel particles, r a f .
Number of particles per unit volume Number of gel particles per unit volume, k a .
Relaxation time constant for long term swelling Relaxation time constant for long-term swelling of gel particles, τ 1 .