Wing crack model subjected to high hydraulic pressure and far field stresses and its numerical simulation

By considering the effect of hydraulic pressure filled in wing crack and the connected part of main crack on the stress intensity factor at wing crack tip, a new wing crack model exerted by hydraulic pressure and far field stresses was proposed. By introducing the equivalent crack length l _eq of wing crack, two terms make up the stress intensity factor K _I at wing crack tip: one is the component K _I⁽¹⁾ for a single isolated straight wing crack of length 2l subjected to hydraulic pressure in wing crack and far field stresses, and the other is the component K _I⁽²⁾ due to the effective shear stress induced by the presence of the equivalent main crack. The FEM model of wing crack propagation subjected to hydraulic pressure and far field stresses was also established according to different side pressure coefficients and hydraulic pressures in crack. The result shows that a good agreement is found between theoretical model of wing crack proposed and finite element method (FEM). In theory, an unstable crack propagation is shown if there is high hydraulic pressure and lateral tension. The wing crack model proposed can provide references for studying on hydraulic fracturing in rock masses.