Experimental and numerical analyses of characteristic lengths in the failure of quasi-brittle materials

Vincent Lefort (1) , David Grégoire (1) , Peter Grassl (2) , Gilles Pijaudier-Cabot (1)

1 LFCR - Laboratoire des Fluides Complexes et leurs Réservoirs
2 University of Glasgow

Characterizing the change of the transport properties during the propagation of macrocracks in a quasi- brittle material (rocks, hard soils,...) is one of the challenges of current research on hydraulic fracturing. Analyzing such change of properties is a way to determine the extent of the Stimulated Reservoir Volume (SRV). The degradation of quasi-brittle materials encompasses micro-crack propagation, interaction and coalescence in order to form a macro-crack. These phenomena are located progressively within the so-called Fracture Process Zone (FPZ). The shape and growth of the FPZ, and its interaction with boundaries, lead to typical phenomena such as size effects, boundary effects and shielding effects. In this paper, we consider synthetic quasi-brittle materials (mortar or concrete) that mimic the mechanical behavior of natural rock, and develop analysis tools based on mesoscale simulations that enable the study of characteristic lengths during damage and failure of such materials.

Domaines: Mécanique [physics.med-ph]

Vincent Lefort, David Grégoire, Peter Grassl, Gilles Pijaudier-Cabot. Experimental and numerical analyses of characteristic lengths in the failure of quasi-brittle materials. 48th US Rock Mechanics Geomechanics Symposium, Jun 2014, Minneapolis, United States. pp.88. ⟨hal-01005920⟩