Complex propagation patterns of hydraulic fractures often play important roles in naturally fractured formations due to complex mechanisms. Therefore, understanding propagation patterns and the geometry of fractures is essential for hydraulic fracturing design. In this work, a seepage–stress–damage coupled model based on the finite pore pressure cohesive zone (PPCZ) method was developed to investigate hydraulic fracture propagation behavior in a naturally fractured reservoir. Compared with the traditional finite element method, the coupled model with global insertion cohesive elements realizes arbitrary propagation of fluid-driven fractures. Numerical simulations of multiple-cluster hydraulic fracturing were carried out to investigate the sensitivities of a multitude of parameters. The results reveal that stress interference from multiple-clusters is responsible for serious suppression and diversion of the fracture network. A lower stress difference benefits the fracture network and helps open natural fractures. By comparing the mechanism of fluid injection, the maximal fracture network can be achieved with various injection rates and viscosities at different fracturing stages. Cluster parameters, including the number of clusters and their spacing, were optimal, satisfying the requirement of creating a large fracture network. These results offer new insights into the propagation pattern of fluid driven fractures and should act as a guide for multiple-cluster hydraulic fracturing, which can help increase the hydraulic fracture volume in naturally fractured reservoirs.

Water–rock interactions can significantly deteriorate the physical and mechanical properties of rocks, and it has been identified as one of the significant factors influencing the stability and safety of structures in rock–soil engineering. In this study, the fracture mechanical properties of sandstone under periodic water–rock interactions and long-term immersion have been studied with central cracked Brazilian disk specimens. The degradation mechanism of water–rock interactions was also studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, the generalized maximum tangential stress and generalized maximum tangential strain criteria were adopted to evaluate the experimental results. The results show that periodic water–rock interactions can remarkably affect the fracture resistance of sandstone. With the increase in the number of cycles, the pure mode I, pure mode II, and mixed mode fracture toughness decreases greatly, however, the values of K_If/K_IC and K_IIf/K_IC decrease slightly. Furthermore, the fracture resistance of sandstone influenced by cyclic wetting–drying is more significant than long-term immersion. Moreover, the fracture criteria, which considers the effect of T-stress, can reproduce the test results very well.

The crack-propagation form may appear as an arbitrary mixed-mode fracture in an engineering structure due to an irregular internal crack. It is of great significance to research the mixed-mode fracture of materials with cracks. The coupling effect of multiple variables (crack height ratio, horizontal deflection angle and vertical deflection angle) on fracture parameters such as the stress intensity factors and the T-stress are the key points in this paper. A three-point bending specimen with an inclined crack was proposed and used to conduct mixed-mode fracture research. The fracture parameters were obtained by finite element analysis, and the computed results showed that the pure mode I fracture and mixed-mode fractures (mode I/II, mode I/III and mode I/II/III) can be realized by changing the deflection angles of the crack. The pure mode I and the mixed-mode fracture toughness of sandstone were obtained by a series of mixed-mode fracture experiments. The experimental results were analyzed with the generalized maximum tangential strain energy density factor criterion considering T-stress. The results showed that the non-singular term T-stress in the fracture parameters cannot be ignored in any mixed-mode fracture research, and the generalized maximum tangential strain energy density factor criterion considering T-stress can better predict the mixed-mode fracture toughness than other criteria.