A Fully Coupled Peridynamic Framework for Hydro-Mechanical Fracture in Porous Media

  • Jiang, Yao (Monash University)
  • Le, Vinh Thanh (Monash University)
  • Nguyen, Giang Dong (The University of Adelaide)
  • Bouazza, Abdelmalek (Monash University)
  • Bui, Ha Hong (Monash University)

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Coupled deformation, fluid flow, and fracture in porous geomaterials underpin a wide range of natural and engineered systems, including underground construction, energy and resource extraction, and subsurface storage. Yet predicting their coupled evolution, particularly pore-pressure changes and damage-driven crack growth, remains challenging, because the relevant mechanisms are strongly interdependent and evolve concurrently in space and time. To address this, we develop a fully coupled hydro-mechanical peridynamic framework [1,2] based on mixture theory. The resulting governing equations enforce mass balance and linear-momentum balance for each phase, providing a rigorous and physically consistent description of hydro-mechanical interactions. Building on an energy-based formulation, we then derive a new two-dimensional peridynamic force expression for hydro-mechanical coupling that is energetically consistent for plane problems. This nonlocal formulation naturally captures damage initiation and fracture propagation, while also accounting for their interaction with deformation and pore pressure evolution, without requiring predefined crack paths. The proposed approach is verified against benchmark problems and shows close agreement with analytical solutions and published reference results, demonstrating stable and accurate performance for complex coupled behaviour in porous media. Overall, the framework provides a physically consistent and computationally robust tool for modelling hydro-mechanical response and damage evolution across a broad class of porous-geomaterial problems.