| Abstract |
The trajectory of a hydraulically driven crack near natural fractures, faults, and inhomogeneities has been studied using the complex variable hypersingular boundary element technique. The crack trajectories are presented for the cases of an oblique and a steeply inclined fault. It has been demonstrated that natural fractures, faults, and other inhomogeneities generate unstable fracture configurations which can transform significantly under small disturbances of the initial crack inclination, loading, and geometry. The mutual insuences of a propagating crack, a fault, and material inhomogeneity are also discussed. |