Phase Field Modeling of Hydraulic Fracturing with Length-Scale Insensitive Degradation Functions
Lusheng Yang,
Yujing Ma,
Gengyin Yang,
Zhenghe Liu,
Kai Kang,
Mengxi Zhang,
Zhiyong Wang
Affiliations
Lusheng Yang
College of Basic Courses, Shanxi Institute of Energy, Jinzhong 030600, China
Yujing Ma
Key Laboratory of In-Situ Property Improving Mining of Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Gengyin Yang
Key Laboratory of In-Situ Property Improving Mining of Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Zhenghe Liu
Key Laboratory of In-Situ Property Improving Mining of Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Kai Kang
Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Mengxi Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Zhiyong Wang
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
A length-scale insensitive degradation function is applied to extend the cracks during hydraulic fracturing under stress boundary conditions in this study. The phase field method is an effective modeling technique that has great potential for use in hydraulic fracturing. Nonetheless, current hydraulic fracturing research is still concentrated on small scales. The phase field model employs a degradation function that is insensitive to length scale, allowing for the decoupling of the phase field length scale from the physical length scale. This facilitates the simulation of hydraulic fracturing crack extensions in larger structures with a consistent mesh density. The correctness of the phase field method is verified firstly by comparing with the experimental results, and the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are further verified through a series of numerical calculations.
