Abstract
A viscoelastic model is proposed to describe the dynamic response of the saturated poroelastic materials that obey the Biot theory (1956). The viscoelastic model is defined from the velocity and attenuation of dilatational and distortional waves in poroelastic materials. Its material properties are defined in terms of the elastic moduli, porosity, specific gravity, degree of saturation, and permeability of the soils. The proposed model is tested by comparing its response with the one of poroelastic materials in the case of axial and lateral harmonic loadings of one-dimensional columns. The viscoelastic model is simpler to use than poroelastic materials but yields similar results for a wide range of soils and dynamic loadings.
