A Complete Elastic Model for Fluid-Induced and In-Situ Generated Stresses with the Presence of a Borehole

Abstract

Abstract This paper develops a complete linear elastic model of a square plate with a circular hole in the middle. The model takes into account two horizontal in-situ stresses, the axial stress and stresses due to fluid flow in the borehole and inside the porous plate. The model contains solutions for both plane strain and plane stress conditions. The model has many applications in applied mechanics. In rock mechanics. it gives the total stress field, including the effects of the fluid pressure inside the rock. It may also be used to model the mechanical response of chemical absorption processes like clay swelling or thermal effects. Assuming no porosity or chemical effects inside the material, the model reduces to a set of equations for stress concentration around a drilled hole in a plate. One particular application of the model is in wellbore stability problems as applied to the petroleum and mining industry. Here, the knowledge of the stress fields is of utmost importance for a safe and economical ope...