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Purpose – The paper aims to clarify the relationship between the micro-structures of porous media and the coefficient of permeability. Most materials involve different types of defects like caves, pores and cracks, which are important characters of porous media and have a great influence on the physical properties of materials. To study the seepage mechanical characteristics of damaged porous media, the constitutive model of porous media dealing with coupled modeling of pores damage and its impact on permeability property of a deforming media was studied in this paper. Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for an exploratory study using the approach of continuum damage mechanics (CDM). Findings – The paper provides some new insights on the fluid dynamics of porous media. The dynamic evolution model of permeability coefficient established in this paper can be used to model the fluid flow problems in damaged porous media. Moreover, the modified Darcy's law developed in this paper is considered to be an extension of the Darcy's law for fluid flow and seepage in a porous medium. Research limitations/implications – Owing to the limitations of time, conditions, funds, etc., the research results should be subject to multifaceted experiments before their innovative significance can be fully verified. Practical implications – The paper includes implications for the development of fluid dynamics of porous media. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need to study the relationship between the micro-structures of porous media and the coefficient of permeability.