Size dependency of hollow-cylinder stabiliy

Abstract

Abstract The hollow-cylinder (HC) test is an important means of assessing openhole stability during drilling, completion and production. This paper reviews experimental and theoretical work aimed at quantifying the size dependency of hollow-cylinder stability. The strength of the size effect appears to depend largely on the initial failure mechanism (whether splitting or shear). The preference for one or the other failure mechanism, in turn, depends not only on the type of material but also on hole size. Quantification of such a preference, as a function of size and material, is considered one of the major challenges in this line of research.