On the loss of symmetry in toughness dominated hydraulic fractures

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a ubiquitous technique for generating fracture networks in rocks for enhanced geothermal systems or hydrocarbon extraction from shales. For decades, models, numerical simulation tools, and practical guidelines have been based on the assumption that this process generates networks of self-similar parallel cracks. Yet, some field and laboratory observations show asymmetric crack growth, and material …