Thermodynamics in mono and biphasic continuum mechanics

This chapter applies the laws of thermodynamics to problems in continuum mechanics. Initially these are applied to a monophasic medium. The case of a biphasic porous medium is then treated with the aim of illustrating how a framework may be established for capturing possible couplings in the pertinent constitutive relationships. This approach is founded on the two laws of Thermodynamics. The first law expresses the conservation of energy when considering all possible forms while the second law postulates that the quality of energy must inevitably deteriorate in relation to its transformability into efficient mechanical work.