# Hydraulic Fracture Propagation in Topological Fractured Rock Masses: Insights from Visualized Experiments and Discrete Element Simulation

## TL;DR

This study shows how the structure of fractures in rock affects how hydraulic cracks start and spread, with implications for engineering and material design.

## Contribution

The study introduces a topological perspective on hydraulic fracture propagation and reveals how fracture network structure influences crack initiation and propagation.

## Key findings

- Hydraulic cracks initiate preferentially at tips closest to the loading boundary.
- Fracture topology has a dual role in weakening overall damage while strengthening local configurations.
- DEM simulations show that topological structures regulate stress concentration and crack initiation behavior.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Hydraulic cracks initiate preferentially at tips closest to the loading boundary.Fracture topology plays a dual role: overall damage-weakening versus local configuration-strengthening.Topological fracture controls crack initiation by regulating stress concentration patterns.

Hydraulic cracks initiate preferentially at tips closest to the loading boundary.

Fracture topology plays a dual role: overall damage-weakening versus local configuration-strengthening.

Topological fracture controls crack initiation by regulating stress concentration patterns.

What are the implications of the main findings?
They provide a new topological perspective on fracture behavior in fracture network.They offer insights for optimizing fracturing designs in engineered materials and systems.The topology-based characterization method is a potential predictive tool.

They provide a new topological perspective on fracture behavior in fracture network.

They offer insights for optimizing fracturing designs in engineered materials and systems.

The topology-based characterization method is a potential predictive tool.

The topological structure of fracture networks fundamentally controls the mechanical behavior and fluid-driven failure of brittle materials. However, a systematic understanding of how topology dictates hydraulic fracture propagation remains limited. This study conducted experimental investigations on granite specimens containing 10 different topological fracture structures using a self-developed visual hydraulic fracturing test system and an improved Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method. It systematically revealed the macroscopic control laws of topological nodes on crack initiation, propagation path, and peak pressure. The experimental results indicate that hydraulic crack initiation follows the “proximal-to-loading-end priority” rule. Macroscopically, the breakdown pressure shows a significant negative correlation with topological parameters (number of nodes, number of branches, normalized total fracture length). However, specific configurations (e.g., X-shaped nodes) can exhibit a configuration-strengthening effect due to dispersed stress concentration, leading to a higher breakdown pressure than simpler topological configurations. Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations revealed the underlying mechanical essence at the meso-scale: the topological structure governs crack initiation behavior and initiation pressure by regulating the distribution of force chains and the mode of stress concentration within the rock mass. These findings advance the fundamental understanding of fracture–topology–property relationships in rock masses and provide insights for optimizing fluid-driven fracturing processes in engineered materials and reservoirs.