Recent analysis of gas outflow histories at wellheads shows that the hydraulic crack spacing must be of the order of 0.1 m (rather than 1 m or 10 m). Consequently, the existing models, limited to one or several cracks, are unrealistic. The reality is 10(5)-10(6) almost vertical hydraulic cracks per fracking stage. Here, we study the growth of two intersecting near-orthogonal systems of parallel...

Microstructural degradation is a predominant source of damage in polycrystalline alloys that are commonly used in diverse applications. For early diagnosis and prognosis of failures, it is essential to understand the mechanisms of damage growth specifically in the crack initiation phase, which is still an intriguing phenomenon for scientists due to sensing inaccuracies and modeling uncertaintie...

The study of brittle or fatigue fracture that involves contact along the crack faces is difficult for several reasons. On the one hand, material data pertaining to the growth of cracks in a compressive environment are scant, and, on the other, frictional stresses may be transmitted across the contacting crack faces. The analysis of cracks under these conditions is complicated. Nevertheless, sol...

Delamination of coatings initiated by small cracks paralleling the free surface is investigated under conditions of high thermal flux associated with a through-thickness temperature gradient. A crack disrupts the heat flow thereby inducing crack tip stress intensities that can become critical. A complete parametric dependence of the energy release rate and mode mix is presented in terms of the ...

Additive manufactured components have a different metallurgic structure and are more prone to fatigue cracks than conventionally produced metals. In earlier papers, an effective Structural Health Monitoring solution was presented to detect fatigue cracks in additive manufactured components. Small subsurface capillaries are embedded in the structure and pressurized (vacuum or overpressure). A cr...