A coupled discrete-element model of fluid-saturated rock and the results of studying of the impact of a fluid on the shear strength of a rock under combined compression and shear

Abstract

Within a discrete-element model of a porous permeable elastic-plastic rock, filled with a fluid, we have studied the shear strength of a fractured interface zone (a shear band) between blocks of a geological medium subject to compression and shear. Under these conditions, a fluid pore pressure is controlled by interplay of dilation of the elastic-plastic shear band and fluid transport between the blocks and the interface. We have found that the shear strength is a unique function of a combination of parameters, which includes viscosity of a fluid, permeability of the medium, shear rate and a characteristic size of the system. Based on the simulation results we have constructed the generalized binomial dependence of the shear strength of samples on the obtained combination of parameters.