AbstractThis paper addresses various issues concerning the modelling of solid–liquid–air coupling in multiphase porous media with an application to unsaturated soils. General considerations based on thermodynamics permit the derivation and discussion of the general form of field equations; two cases are considered: a three phase porous material with solid, liquid and gas, and a two phase porous material with solid, liquid and empty space. Emphasis is placed on the presentation of differences in the formulation and on the role of the gas phase. The finite element method is used for the discrete approximation of the partial differential equations governing the problem. The two formulations are then analysed with respect to a documented drainage experiment carried out by the authors. The merits and shortcomings of the two approaches are shown. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.