: In this paper we describe the role of fluids in the mechanical behaviour of non-linear elastic hysteretic materials. Experiments show that the non-linear quasi-static and dynamic material behaviour pri- marily changes in the range of low saturation, where high…
: In this paper we describe the role of fluids in the mechanical behaviour of non-linear elastic hysteretic materials. Experiments show that the non-linear quasi-static and dynamic material behaviour pri- marily changes in the range of low saturation, where high fluid-solid interaction forces are present. Using the Preisach-Mayergoyz space (P-M space) model, we show that micro- to mesoscopic hysteretic entities, that cause the non-linear response, are activated with increasing saturation. The description introduces different macroscopic interaction pressures for the reversible and hysteretic elements and provides quantitative agree- ment with experiment This allows us to delineate populations of mechanical elements, where moisture in- duced activation is most pronounced and to correlate the observations in perspective of the material composi- tion.