Brittle failure of shale under uniaxial compression

Shale gas reservoirs are characterized by tight matrix, well-developed micro-fissures, and laminations. The study about the failure of shale under compression is of great significance to safe drilling operation and the subsequent reservoir stimulation. The variation of rock mechanical properties with the angle between the axial stress and bedding plane normal (coring angle) is analyzed based on laboratory tests. A failure criterion is applied and verified to describe the strength of shale. Moreover, ultrasonic technology is used to study the damage characteristics of shale during the uniaxial compression process. The experimental results show that shale strength decreases initially and then increases with the increase of the coring angle. The Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio increase with the increase of coring angle. In a compression process, damage is essentially the development of new micro-cracks induced by the compression. Shale failure is the microscopical reflection of the process of the generation and expansion of axial micro-cracks, so it is the result of damage accumulation. The variation of the lateral p wave velocity can function as a monitor of the development process of shale damage. The damage factor will increase in the linear elastic stage and then enlarge rapidly after entering the stage of unstable micro-crack expansion.