Porous Media in the Light of History

摘要

At the end of the 18th century, serious problems in dike constructions in Northern Germany and the need to understand coupled solid-water problems initiated first attempts to describe porous media. Many attempts followed until a sound Theory of Porous Media was born on the basis of continuum mechanics of multi-component materials with multi-physical properties. The present article roughly describes the development of the Theory of Porous Media from its origins to contemporary applications, thus presenting porous media in the light of history.