FRACTURING OF BRITTLE HOMOGENEOUS SOLIDS. FINITE SIZE SCALINGS

Abstract

Using a two dimensional lattice model we investigate the crack growth under the influence of remote tensile forces as well as due to an internally applied pressure (hydraulic fracturing). For homogeneous elastic properties we present numerical finite-size scalings for the breaking stresses and pressures in terms of crack lengths and lattice sizes. Continuum theory predicts for the tensile and for the pressure problem identical scaling functions. Our findings for the tensile problem are in very good agreement with continuum results. However, for the hydraulic fracture problem we observe a different finite-size scaling. We explicitly demonstrate that the modified scaling is a consequence of the discrete structure of the lattice (micro structure).