Solid Skeleton Research Articles

Hourly three-minute creep testing of an LC3 paste at early ages: Advanced test evaluation and the effects of the pozzolanic reaction on shrinkage, elastic stiffness, and creep

In this study, hourly three-minute creep testing is used to elucidate the evolution of the viscoelastic behavior of cement pastes produced with ordinary Portland cement (OPC), limestone Portland cement (LPC), and limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), from 1 to 7 days after production. An innovative test evaluation protocol, accounting for shrinkage, is used to identify values of the elastic modulus, the creep modulus, and the creep exponent, without making assumptions. The S-shaped shrinkage evolution of the LC3 paste is explained by Portlandite dissolution and the associated redistribution of chemical shrinkage-induced compressive stresses to the remaining solid skeleton. The evolution of the elastic stiffness of the LC3 paste is explained by space filling by C-A-S-H phases. The small creep compliance of the LC3 paste is explained by C-A-S-H which creeps less than C-S-H, and by AFm phases which precipitate in nanoscopic slit pores between C-S-H structures, gluing viscous interfaces.

Insights into the ternary substitution Na2.96+xK0.04 V2-xNix(PO4)2.98F0.06 with superior rate capability and near-zero strain property

Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) is considered the most favorable cathode for sodium-ion batteries due to its solid NASICON skeleton. Nevertheless, poor intrinsic conductivity is insufficient for its further commercialization. In this paper, we present a promising K/Ni/F co-doped and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) encapsulated Na2.96+xK0.04 V2-xNix(PO4)2.98F0.06 (KNF@CNTsx) cathode materials. The synthesis of KNF@CNTsx is achieved using a facile sol-gel method. The replacement of Na+ with K+ broadens the migratory pathway and supports the crystal skeleton, while F− substitution reduces the average grain dimension, thereby increasing the diffusion rate of Na+. Furthermore, the reduction of resistance by Ni2+ doping enables optimization of the transport of electrical charge, while also facilitating the optimization of chemically-defined properties. Concurrently, the optimal quantity of carbon capping and wrapping of CNTs facilitate the formation of efficacious conductive network, which diminishes the size of grains and shortens the pathway for the diffusion of Na+. This network could also serve as a buffer against crystal deformation. In conclusion, the modified KNF@CNTsx samples exhibit notable enhancements in their conductivity, ion diffusion capacity, and structural stability. Among them, the KNF@CNTs0.04 sample exhibits a capacity for reversibility of 93.3 mAh g−1 at 50C, with a remaining capacity of 68.5 mAh g−1 after 4000 successive long charge-discharge cycles. Ex-situ electrochemical XRD demonstrates the V3+/V4+ redox reaction occurs accompanied by the phase transfer reaction, during which Na+ prefers to diffuse along c-axial in the crustal structure. Moreover, volume alteration of this KNF@CNTs0.04 cellular entity is miniscule and reversible during the charge-discharge process, further confirming the stabilized construction and near-zero strain property. The after-cycled XRD/SEM/XPS certify the improved chemical and structural stability of KNF@CNTs0.04, indicating the constructive effects of K/Ni/F ternary substitution.

A renewable bifunctional structural supercapacitor using the recycled geopolymer membrane and MnO2/CNTs electrode

A bifunctional supercapacitor based on the recycled montmorillonite geopolymer membrane and MnO2/CNTs composite electrodes was designed and assembled. The recycled geopolymer was prepared from recycled montmorillonite geopolymer powder and alkali activators and used as a solid electrolyte skeleton, with a maximum compressive strength of 30.6 MPa after 28 days of curing, which is comparable to the strength of the initially polymerized geopolymer. The MnO2/CNTs electrodes were prepared by electrodeposition method, and the electrode materials containing 2 wt% CTAB and 1 wt% CNTs had the best area specific capacity of 3310 mF cm−2 at a current density of 1 mA cm−2. The regenerated geopolymer electrolyte framework was injected with 0.5 M Na2SO4 and assembled with MnO2/CNTs electrode to form a structural load-bearing supercapacitor, which had a specific capacity of 2094.4 mF cm−2 at a load of 15 MPa, with a capacity retention rate of 65.43 % after 10,000 charge/discharge cycles.

Microstructure design of a stack for independent control of thermal and viscous phenomena

\textit{Thermal and viscous energy conversion in a thermoacoustic device occurs inside a particular porous material, named stack/regenerator. Viscous losses and thermal exchanges arise thanks to the interaction of an acoustic field and the solid skeleton of a porous material. Its microstructure strongly influences the amount of energy which can be converted or dissipated due to viscous and thermal boundary layers. Thermal and viscous losses are strictly interconnected, meaning that by altering the pore size (i.e. the hydraulic radius) of the microstructure, both thermal and viscous effects are generally affected. However, there are cases where independent control of thermal or viscous effects could be crucial such as in the thermoacoustics devices. Enhancing heat exchanges while minimizing viscous losses becomes necessary to enhance power conversion. This work paves the way to the design of a microstructure suitable for controlling viscous and thermal effects in a relatively independent way.

A theoretical framework for multi-physics modeling of poro-visco-hyperelasticity-induced time-dependent fracture of blood clots

Fracture resistance of blood clots plays a crucial role in physiological hemostasis and pathological thromboembolism. Although recent experimental and computational studies uncovered the poro-viscoelastic property of blood clots and its connection to the time-dependent deformation behavior, the effect of these physical processes on clot fracture and the underlying fracture mechanisms are not well understood. This work aims to formulate a thermodynamically consistent, multi-physics theoretical framework for describing the time-dependent deformation and fracture of blood clots. This theory concurrently couples fluid transport through porous fibrin networks, non-linear visco-hyperelastic deformation of the solid skeleton, solid-fluid interactions, mechanical degradation of tissues, gradient enhancement of energy, and protein unfolding of fibrin molecules. The constitutive relations of tissue constituents and the governing equation of fluid transport are derived within the framework of porous media theory by extending non-linear continuum thermodynamics at large strains. A physics-based, compressible network model is developed for the fibrin network of blood clots to describe its mechanical response. The kinetic equations of the internal variables, introduced for describing the non-linear viscoelastic deformation, non-local damage driving force and protein unfolding, are formulated according to the thermodynamics principles by incorporating a non-equilibrium energy of fibrin networks, a gradient-enhanced energy, and a stretch-induced energy of fibrin molecules, respectively, into the total free energy density function. An energy-based damage model is developed to predict the damage and fracture of blood clots, and an evolving regularization parameter is proposed to limit the damage zone bandwidth. The proposed model is implemented into finite element code by writing subroutines and is experimentally validated using single-edge cracked clot specimens with different constituents. The fracture of blood clots subject to different loading conditions is simulated, and the mechanisms of clot fracture are systematically analyzed. Computational results show that this model can accurately capture the experimentally measured deformation and fracture. The viscoelasticity and fluid transport play essential roles in the fracture of blood clots under physiological loading.

A multi-level-variable correlated mechanistic model system for irradiation-induced multi-scale volume growths of U-10Mo/Zr dispersion nuclear fuels

Irradiation-induced volumetric deformations in dispersion nuclear fuels arouse a critical concern in nuclear fuel design. Utilizing the concepts from mesomechanics and homogenization, a multi-level-variable correlated mechanistic model system called the Dispersion Fuel Swelling Analysis Model System (DFSAMS) is developed for the irradiation-induced multi-scale volume growths of U-10Mo/Zr dispersion nuclear fuels. These models could directly correlate the macroscopic irradiation-induced volume growth strain with the dynamically varying multi-level information, including the obtained particle volume fractions, the current porosities of recrystallized zones of fuel grains, the macroscale porosities of fuel particles, the average numbers of fission gas atoms within fuel bubbles, the average bubble pressures and the macroscale pressures of fuel particles related to the macroscale hydrostatic pressures of dispersion fuels. The obtained theoretical results align favorably with finite element predictions and a diverse range of experimental data, demonstrating the effectiveness of the newly developed model system. It is indicated that: (1) the irradiation creep performance of the Zr matrix becomes the predominant factor influencing the macroscale volume growth deformations of U-10Mo/Zr dispersion fuels, due to the differed resistance to volumetric deformations of U-10Mo particles; (2) the as-fabricated bubbles of fuel particles will gradually decrease in size under the macroscale hydrostatic pressures due to the irradiation creep deformations occurring in the surrounding solid skeleton, contributing negatively to the macroscale volumetric expansion of U-10Mo/Zr dispersion fuels, especially in cases with higher initial porosity. The important theoretical models are supplied here for efficient numerical simulation of the irradiation-induced thermal-mechanical coupling behaviors in U-10Mo/Zr dispersion fuel elements.

Development of a smoothed particle hydrodynamics model for porous media flows with enhanced volume conservation and the revisit of the mass conservation equation

Porous media exist extensively in hydraulic and coastal engineering structures, while the modeling of wave/flow interaction with porous media remains challenging. This work develops a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) model for accurately simulating wave/flow interaction with porous media. The mass and momentum conservation equations incorporating the mixture theory are adopted. The resistant forces of the solid skeleton of porous media on fluid flows are described by the nonlinear empirical formula. The research contributions of the work lie in two aspects. First, two categories of mass conservation equations for porous media flow are revisited and analyzed to examine the influences of the local time derivative term of fluid volume fraction on simulation results. Second, the Volume Conservation Shifting scheme is, for the first time, introduced into SPH to enhance volume conservation for simulating porous media flows. The developed SPH model is validated by an analytical case of seepage flows in a U-tube with porous media and then applied to study four benchmark examples involving both saturated and unsaturated porous media, i.e., dam-break flow through a crushed stone dam, rapid seepage flow through a rockfill dam, solitary wave propagation over a porous seabed, and solitary wave propagation over a submerged porous breakwater. The morphological features and dynamic pressure heads of the porous media flows have been satisfactorily predicted, demonstrating the good accuracy and enhanced volume conservation of the developed SPH model.

Numerical investigation of the thermal hydrofracturing behavior of the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone

This study addresses the thermal hydrofracturing behavior in claystone within the context of the high-level and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste disposal. The heat generated by the waste packages will lead to a temperature increment within the host formation, inducing a pore pressure build-up essentially due to the difference between the thermal expansion coefficient of the pore water and that of the solid skeleton. If the induced pore pressure build-up is too high, the host formation will experience tensile stresses, potentially exceeding its tensile strength and resulting in fracturing. Understanding of these processes and improving numerical models to reproduce them will help the design, optimization, and safety of the repository. Additionally, it will contribute to demonstrating robustness by showing that such processes are not expected to occur at the repository scale.This study was conducted as part of the DECOVALEX-2023 project and synthesizes the efforts of six research teams modelling laboratory thermal extension tests conducted on Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx) samples, as well as an in-situ thermal hydrofracturing experiment conducted at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Underground Research Laboratory in France. The teams used different numerical codes with different approaches, including continuum and discrete approaches, to model these two tests. The laboratory tests were used to calibrate the teams’ models, such as the fracturing criterion. The teams considered a thermo-hydromechanical formulation under saturated conditions. One of the key features of their models was the incorporation of changes in the hydraulic properties of the COx through hydromechanical coupling.The approaches developed by the teams demonstrated their capability to analyze and reproduce fracture initiation in the COx in terms of time of occurrence and location based on their respective stress analyses. However, attempts to reproduce fracture aperture or fracture propagation were less accurate and remain areas for future research, which were beyond the scope of this study.

Reflection, transmission, and AVO response of inhomogeneous plane waves in thermoporoelastic media with two-temperature equations of heat conduction

We develop a modified fluid-saturated thermoporoelastic model by introducing two temperature equations to account for the temperature differences between the solid skeleton and the pore filling. The modified two-temperature generalized thermoporoelastic (TTG) equation is an extension of the classical single-temperature Lord-Shulman (LS), Green-Lindsay, and generalized LS theories. It predicts four compressional waves and one shear wave based on the analysis of inhomogeneous plane waves. We study the exact reflection and transmission (R/T) coefficients at the interface separating two thermoporoelastic half-spaces and develop an amplitude-variation-with-offset (AVO) approximation. Comparison with the Biot poroelastic case of the water/oil contact shows that the TTG model reproduces the exact R/T results. The AVO response of oil, gas, and real CO2 geosequestration reservoirs illustrates the practical applicability of our model and provides the theoretical basis for the exploration of high-temperature resources.

Ablation behavior and mechanisms of Cf/(CrZrHfNbTa)C‒SiC high‐entropy composite at temperatures up to 2450°C

AbstractThe oxide layer formed by ultra‐high melt point oxides (ZrO2, HfO2) and SiO2 glassy melt is the key to the application of traditional thermal structural materials in extremely high‐temperature environment. However, the negative effect of ZrO2 and HfO2 phase transitions on the stability of oxide layer and rapid volatilization of low viscosity SiO2 melt limit its application in aerospace. In this study, the ablation behavior of Cf/(CrZrHfNbTa)C‒SiC high‐entropy composite was explored systematically via an air plasma ablation test, under a heat flux of 5 MW/m2 at temperatures up to 2450°C. The composite presents an outstanding ablation resistance, with linear and mass ablation rates of 0.9 µm/s and 1.82 mg/s, respectively. This impressive ablation resistance is attributed to the highly stable oxide protective layer formed in situ on the ablation surface, which comprises a solid skeleton of (Zr, Hf)6(Nb, Ta)2O17 combined with spherical particles and SiO2 glassy melt. The irregular particles provide a solid skeleton in the oxides protective layer, which increased stability of the oxide layer. Moreover, the spherical particles have a crystal structure similar to that of Ta2O5 and are uniformly distributed in SiO2 glassy melt, which hinder the flow of SiO2 glassy melt and enhance its viscosity to a certain degree. And it reduces the volatilization of SiO2. In summary, the stable oxide layer was formed by irregular particles oxide and the SiO2 glassy melt with certain viscosity, thereby resulting in the impressive ablation resistance of the composite. This study fills a gap in ablation research on the (CrZrHfNbTa)C system.

Dispersion of thermoelastic guided waves in multi-layered porous media

The mechanical properties of the graphite electrode will dynamically change during the charge-discharge cycle, which will affect the propagation characteristics of guided waves in lithium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, lithium-ion batteries experience fluctuations in operating temperature during cycling, which will also influence the propagation of guided waves. This research aims to investigate the guided wave propagation problem of porous electrode material with electrolyte versus temperature. The problem is under the framework of Green-Naghdi theory and Biot theory, and a numerical approach is presented to solve the thermoelastic wave propagation characteristics in such a multi-layered porous electrode. A frequency domain simulation for a multi-layered porous anode will be established. The simulation results confirm the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed approach. The porosity of the anode material shows obvious dynamic variation during cycling, which illustrates a strong correlation with the elastic modulus of the solid skeleton. Then, the effects of porosity and temperature variations on the propagation characteristics of thermoelastic guided waves in multi-layered porous graphite electrodes will be analyzed in detail. The phase velocity of fundamental modes appears regularly shift in the low frequency range. This may provide theoretical support for the acoustic nondestructive characterization of the operating states of the lithium-ion batteries.

Stress Analysis of a Concrete Pipeline in a Semi-Infinite Seabed under the Action of Elliptical Cosine Waves Based on the Seepage Equation

This study aims to investigate the mechanical response of a submarine concrete pipeline under wave action in shallow waters, taking into account factors such as the compressibility of pores and the permeability of the seabed. The control equation of the elliptical cosine wave theory is adopted to simulate the action of waves. In order to simulate the interaction between the solid skeleton and pore fluid, the concept of a “porous medium” is used to establish the transient seepage control equation. Utilizing the stress and displacement conditions at the interface of the ideal fluid media, porous media, and concrete pipeline, the numerical solutions for the internal force and pore pressure of the concrete pipeline buried in a semi-infinite thickness seabed were obtained; meanwhile, the effects of changes in the gas content in pore water and changes in the seabed permeability coefficient on a concrete pipeline were analyzed. The numerical calculation results show that, with the increase in the gas content in the pore water, the amplitude of the pore pressure on the pipeline surface decreases, and both the horizontal and vertical forces acting on the pipeline decrease; the amplitude of the pore pressure on the pipeline surface increases with the increase in seabed permeability and decreases with the enhancement of seabed permeability anisotropy; the improvement of the seabed permeability or enhancement of the permeability anisotropy can increase the horizontal force acting on the pipeline. This study provides a reference for the stability evaluation of submarine concrete pipelines under wave action in shallow water areas.

Development of Compaction Localization in Leitha Limestone: Finite Element Modeling Based on Synchrotron X‐Ray Imaging

AbstractThe mechanical behavior and failure mode of porous rocks vary with their microstructures. The formation of compaction bands (CBs) has been captured with high precision via in situ synchrotron CT and kinematic characteristics can be attained by image analysis. However, the stress characteristics cannot be directly evaluated from images, and how porosity heterogeneity triggers local instability and leads to the formation of CBs is not yet fully understood. To address this problem, we established a finite element (FE) model of the solid skeleton of a Leitha limestone sample based on X‐ray μCT data, considering the heterogeneity of pores and plastic hardening, and reproduced the evolution of strain localization and CBs. Our results revealed that the heterogeneity of porosity has a profound influence on the formation and propagation of CBs. Precursory stresses always appear very early around the pores where compaction bands develop, and the stress state of most points in CBs is quasi‐uniaxial compression, which has significantly high maximum principal stress σ1 in a direction subparallel to the sample axis, causing yield then compaction failure. Also, using a simplified FE mesh and ignoring the fracture of particles underestimate the extreme stress and porosity reduction—these can be improved by using fine mesh and involving grain‐scale fracture mechanics. Our study proves the feasibility and reliability of the CT‐FE simulation scheme, which can be extended to investigating the stress distribution and evolution of different rock types with a spectrum of failure modes if in situ CT data of rock deformation is available.

ПОВЫШЕНИЕ НЕСУЩЕЙ СПОСОБНОСТИ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНО СЖАТОЙ СТОЙКИ ЗАМКНУТОГО СЕЧЕНИЯ В СРЕДЕ ПЕНОБЕТОНА

The paper considers a technology that combines the well-known method of frame-panel construction with the use of light metal structures and the production of heat-insulating, sound-insulating monolith-ic non-autoclaved foam concrete. The principle of the construction of monolithic frame structures us-ing foam concrete consists in the formation of a metal structure consisting of columns resting on the foundation and horizontal girder cells of ceilings lined with foam concrete, connecting all the elements of the frame into a single solid skeleton of the building

ОЦЕНКА НЕСУЩЕЙ СПОСОБНОСТИ ВНЕЦЕНТРЕННО СЖАТОЙ СТОЙКИ ЗАМКНУТОГО СЕЧЕНИЯ В СРЕДЕ ПЕНОБЕТОНА

A technical solution for frame racks is proposed for the construction of monolithic frame structures using foam concrete. The principle of the construction of monolithic frame structures using foam concrete consists in the formation of a metal structure, reinforced with foam concrete, which binds all the elements of the frame into a single solid skeleton of the building

Hamiltonian/Stroh formalism for reversible poroelasticity (and thermoelasticity)

Stroh’s sextic formalism represents the equilibrium equations of anisotropic elasticity in a particularly attractive form, that is most suitable for studying interface-dominated multilayered solids, composite materials and time-harmonic problems. Taking advantage of the fact that the Stroh formalism really amounts to the canonical form of the equations in the Hamiltonian sense, the case of Biot’s reversible (i.e. no fluid dissipation) poroelasticity is here addressed, in the absence of a fluid pressure gradient. This framework is the same as thermoelasticity of perfect conductors. Two Hamiltonian formulations are developed: the first describes both the solid and the fluid phases and it exhibits, besides energy conservation, momentum conservation, as a result of pressure uniformity (perfectly drained conditions). The second is restricted to the solid skeleton and perfectly parallels anisotropic elasticity, where the Stroh matrices refer to the effective stress tensor. The case of weak fluid–solid coupling is also considered and it produces a perturbation from anisotropic elasticity with the same structure as incompressibility, although in an “opposing” manner. This comparison suggests that the incompressibility limit introduced by Biot should be revised. The energy conservation integral and the edge impedance matrix are also illustrated.

Vulnerability of firn to hydrofracture: poromechanics modeling

Abstract On the Greenland Ice Sheet, hydrofracture connects the supraglacial and subglacial hydrologic systems, coupling surface runoff dynamics and ice velocity. In recent decades, the growth of low-permeability ice slabs in the wet snow zone has expanded Greenland's runoff zone, but observations suggest that surface-to-bed connections are rare, because meltwater drains through crevasses into the porous firn beneath ice slabs. However, there is little quantitative evidence confirming the absence of surface-to-bed fracture propagation. Here, we use poromechanics to investigate whether water-filled crevasses in ice slabs can propagate vertically through an underlying porous firn layer. Based on numerical simulations, we develop an analytical estimate of the water injection-induced effective stress in the firn given the water level in the crevasse, ice slab thickness, and firn properties. We find that the firn layer substantially reduces the system's vulnerability to hydrofracture because much of the hydrostatic stress is accommodated by a change in pore pressure, rather than being transmitted to the solid skeleton. This result suggests that surface-to-bed hydrofracture will not occur in ice slab regions until all pore space proximal to the initial flaw has been filled with solid ice.

A mixed nonlocal finite element model for thermo‐poro‐elasto‐plastic simulation of porous media with multiphase fluid flow

SummaryA new mixed nonlocal finite element framework is developed for nonlinear thermo‐poro‐elasto‐plastic simulation of porous media with multiphase pore fluid flow and thermal coupling. The solid‐fluid interaction is accounted for using the mixture theory of Biot based on the volume fractions concept. Different sources of nolinearities arising from the multiphase fluid flow effects, advective‐diffusive heat transfer, inelastic deformation, fluid flux injection induced mechanical tractions, solid skeleton deformation permeability dependence, and temperature dependent viscosity are included in developing a robust numerical solver for the targeted coupled multiphysics problem. To address the effect of microstructure in inelastic localized deformation behaviour with dilational softening, a nonlocal plasticity model is proposed based on a characteristic length scale which rectifies the non‐physical pathological mesh dependence problem encountered in conventional plasticity. The accuracy and strength of the developed model is shown with comparing the obtained numerical results of a benchmark bilateral compression test with existing published data in the literature. To show the versatility and robustness of the developed computational framework in modelling the geomechanics of real‐case engineering practices, large scale thermo‐hydro‐mechanical (THM) subsurface stimulation processes with applications in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) are effectively simulated and the targeted enhanced recovery and performances are demonstrated. The current formulation does not include phase transformation modelling capability, and therefore, the developed models may not be applicable for simulation of the engineering processes that involve phase change behaviour (e.g., steam injection).

New unconditionally stable and high-accuracy finite element procedures for high-frequency solid-fluid coupled dynamic systems

To achieve high-precision computation of the dynamic response of saturated poroelastic media under high-frequency loads, this paper develops new, unconditionally stable and high-accuracy finite element procedures based on the u-w and u-U solid-fluid coupled dynamic systems. In the procedures the solution domain is spatially discretized using the standard finite element method, while a precise time step integration method is introduced for temporal domain computations. A matrix-based spectral analysis is conducted to validate the stability of the proposed procedures. Subsequently, an error estimation and convergence analysis of the procedures are performed. Four classical examples involving different load types with varying time dependences are used to validate the numerical performance of the proposed procedures. Through rigorous comparison with analytical/reference solutions, the proposed procedures have been convincingly demonstrated to accurately capture the relative motion between the solid skeleton and the pore fluid under high-frequency loads. Furthermore, the procedures have remarkable advantages in both accuracy and efficiency compared to the commonly employed Newmark schemes.

An efficient multi-field dynamic model for 3D wave propagation in saturated anisotropic porous media

An efficient multi–field coupled dynamic model for saturated anisotropic porous materials is proposed here. The mathematical formulation of the dynamic deformation–diffusion problem is developed starting from the mixture theory and the definition of the effective stress for anisotropic poro–elasticity, taking into account also the fluid phase compressibility and anisotropic permeability. The effective stress principle is properly extended through the Biot tensor to predict the coupling between the shear stress of the solid skeleton and the pore fluid pressure. Numerical solution of the coupled problem is obtained by inf-sup stable Finite Element spaces. A fundamental issue for the computational efficiency of the coupled model is the numerical solution of the resulting large–size and non–symmetric discrete problem. In this work, we develop a fully implicit monolithic solver based on the Bi–Conjugate Gradient Stabilized (Bi-CGStab) algorithm accelerated via an ad–hoc Multi–Physics Reduction (MPR) preconditioning technique. The proposed advances are implemented in the 3D GeoMatFem research code and several numerical analyses are performed to test the potential and computational efficiency of the proposed tool. In particular, we focus on 3D wave propagation applications in fully saturated single and multi-layered anisotropic media. Numerical results show that our implementation is able to identify the shear wave splitting phenomenon due to the different degree of material symmetry between the solid phase and the whole porous material.