Ultimate pressure determination in hydraulic fracturing of boreholes for different rock failure criteria

Abstract

Abstract The problem on elastoplastic deformation and rock failure around boreholes under the action of internal pressure is considered. The stress state in the intact rock mass is assumed to be hydrostatic. The hydraulic fracturing pressure is conventionally determined by the maximum normal stress criterion. However, the experimental studies described in scientific articles show that this criterion is not consistent with the results obtained in the course of laboratory tests on failure of cylindrical and spherical cavities made in rock samples. It has been known that test results on complex loading for solid samples of various materials are not confirmed by the theory of maximum normal stress both in terms of ultimate load value and direction of failure surface propagation. In this case, for the complex stress state of rocks, it is proposed to determine the ultimate pressure by the experimentally substantiated fracture criteria which are in good agreement with the results of laboratory tests on hydraulic fracturing of boreholes.