Abstract
Wellbore instability mainly occurs in shale formations, and it is of great significance to deeply analyze the characteristics of shale-failure behavior to evaluate the stability of the shale surrounding the well wall during drilling. Through a uniaxial compression experiment and DIC technology, the whole strain field of shale specimens with prefabricated holes and cracks under uniaxial compression is measured. The experimental data of load, displacement and strain field are analyzed comprehensively. The results show that the fracture location and expansion path of shale are closely related to the evolution of the strain field. The evolution of the strain field directly affects the failure behavior of the rock. Under the action of load, local high strain will first appear around the initial shale defects (pores and fractures), and stress concentration will occur. With the increase of load, cracks and failures will first appear in the local high-strain zone, and the failure will spread along the region and path and eventually lead to the overall failure of the rock. The establishment of a description method for shale-failure behavior through strain-field evolution can effectively analyze the crack behavior of shale with initial defects such as holes and cracks and provide theoretical and experimental bases for the stability evaluation of the shale surrounding the well wall, including shale-strength prediction and shale-failure mechanism.