Proppant transport law in multi-branched fractures induced by volume fracturing

To further clarify the proppant transport and placement law in multi-branched fractures induced by volume fracturing, proppant transport simulation experiments were performed with different fracture shapes, sand ratios, branched fracture opening time and injection sequence of proppants in varied particle sizes. The results show that the settled proppant height increases and the placement length decreases in main fractures as the fracturing fluid diverts gradually to the branched fractures at different positions. The flow rate in branched fractures is the main factor affecting their filling. The diverion to branched fractures leads to low flow rate and poor filling of far-wellbore branched fractures. The inclined fracture wall exerts a frictional force on the proppant to slow its settlement, thus enhancing the vertical proppant distribution in the fracture. The increase of sand ratio can improve the filling of near-wellbore main fracture and far-wellbore branched fracture and also increase the settled proppant height in main fracture. Due to the limitation of fracture height, when the sand ratio increases to a certain level, the increment of fracture filling decreases. When branched fracture is always open(or extends continuously), the supporting effect on the branched fractures is the best, but the proppant placement length within the main fractures is shorter. The fractures support effect is better when it is first closed and then opened(or extends in late stage) than when it is first opened and then closed(or extends in early stage). Injecting proppants with different particle sizes in a specific sequence can improve the placement lengths of main fracture and branched fracture. Injection of proppants in an ascending order of particle size improves the near-wellbore fracture filling, to a better extent than that in a descending order of particle size.

The impact of operative timing on clinical outcomes in elderly hip fracture

Objective To study the effect of operative timing on clinical outcomes in elderly hip fracture.Methods Two hundred sixty-seven patients with hip fracture were treated from July 2006 to May 2008.The patients who had an operation within

Incubation time fracture criterion for FEM simulations

The paper is discussing problems connected with embedment of the incubation time criterion for brittle fracture into finite element computational schemes. Incubation time fracture criterion is reviewed; practical questions of its numerical implementation are extensively discussed. Several examples of how the incubation time fracture criterion can be used as fracture condition in finite element computations are given. The examples include simulations of dynamic crack propagation and arrest, impact crater formation （i.e. fracture in initially intact media）, spall fracture in plates, propagation of cracks in pipelines. Applicability of the approach to model initiation, development and arrest of dynamic fracture is claimed.

APPLICATION OF Ct-PARAMETER FOR CREEP-FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH WITH SLOW LOAD RISING CONDITION

Most of the assessment equations for Ct which is a wellknown fracture parameter characterizing high temperature crack growth rates, have limited applicability to constant load conditions after sudden loading. However, crack growth due to creep can also occur under load varying conditions when load rising time is so long that accumulated creep deformation near the crack tip is not negligible.In this paper, the estimation equation of the Ctparameter which can be applied to the case of slow load rising, i.e., (Ct)r, is explained. And the correlation between (Ct)r at the end of the load increasing period and Ct at the beginning of the succeeding load hold period is discussed. Finite element analyses of several cases with various loading conditions were performed and results were presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed Ct estimation scheme. The general applicability of the equation is also discussed.

Microstructure characterization and HCF fracture mode transition for modified 9Cr-1Mo dissimilarly welded joint at different elevated temperatures

The high cycle fatigue（HCF） tests of modified 9 Cr-1 Mo dissimilarly welded joint were carried out at different elevated temperatures and the fracture mechanism was systematically revealed. The fatigue strength at 108 cycles based on S-N curve can be estimated as a half of weld joint＇s yield strength for all conducted temperatures, which can be a reliable criterion in predicting the fatigue life. The results show that the inter-critical heat affected zones（IC-HAZs） of both sides are the weak zones due to their low hardness and inferior fatigue resistance property. HAZ of COST-FB2（BM2） is the weakest zone at room temperature due to the existence of numerously distributed defects and the initiation of cracks, either in the surface or interior zone, impacting a crucial effect on the fatigue life of the joint. While at elevated temperatures, fatigue life was controlled mostly by the intrusion-extrusion mechanism at the specimen surface under high stress level and subsurface non-defect fatigue crack origin（SNDFCO） from the interior material under low stress amplitude. With increasing temperature, more and more fatigue failures began to occur at the HAZ of COST-E（BM1） due to its higher susceptibility of temperature. Besides, it is found that the-ferrite in the BM1 has no harm to the HCF behavior of the joint at the conducted temperatures.