论述了水力压裂过程中裂缝面内压力引起的岩石变形、裂缝的起裂和扩展、裂缝内流体的流动和流固耦合等关键力学问题,综述了用于模拟水力压裂的有限元法、扩展有限元法、边界元法、离散元法及其他相关数值计算方法的基本原理、研究进展和发展趋势,分析了各方法的优点及适用性

This paper provides an overview of the key mechanical problems of hydraulic fracturing process including rock deformation due to the fluid pressure on crack surfaces, crack initiation and propagation, fluid flow within cracks and their couplings. The fundamentals of the numerical methods for hydraulic fracturing are reviewed with their progress and development trend, for example, finite element method, discrete element method, boundary element method and other related numerical methods. These methods are analyzed and compared in terms of advantages and applicability.