Study on the shear-slip process and characteristics of fracture in shale

To clarify the shear-slip process and characteristics of fault, we conducted triaxial shear tests driven by displacement on shale samples with prefabricated sawcut and natural fractures, and the acoustic emission (AE) technology was used to monitor the shear-slip process in real-time. According to the test results, the shear-slip process and mechanical characteristics of sawcut and natural fractures were analyzed. The test results indicate that the shear-slip process of fractures can be divided into four stages, improving the confining pressure will cause more serious plastic failure in the shear-slip process, and the increase of roughness will make the phenomenon of “stress drop” more obvious, which is closely related to the earthquake occurrence. Confining pressure and roughness all have implications for the stress thresholds of each stage. With the transition of shear-slip stages, the effects of confining pressure and roughness on the shear-slip of fractures are more drastic. The maximum static friction coefficient μ0 increases with initial roughness increasing and is independent of confining pressure. Due to the strain-strengthening effect of fracture slip, the average value of dynamic friction coefficient μd under simple shear deformation is greater than the maximum static friction coefficient μ0. Based on AE response characteristics, microcracks development, and rupture scale during the shear-slip process were also explored. AE events are mainly distributed along the inclined fracture. The AE response in different shear-slip stages displays pronounced differences, and the AE evolution and macro mechanical characteristics of fractures show significant time-synchronization. The variation of peak frequency can reflect the rupture scale transformation and the influence of confining pressure and roughness. Additionally, the differences in the morphological evolution of sawcut and natural fractures are mainly reflected in the wear pattern, degree and the rock debris attach amount. Finally, we also discussed the micro-deformation mechanism of asperities during the shear-slip process. This work may provide a reference for the research of fault activation and slip in shale reservoirs.