Data for "Effects of polymer solutions on hydraulic fracture"

This data package supports the publication "Effects of polymer solutions on hydraulic fracture" by Yujing Du, Thomas Cochard, Ilya Svetlizky, Congcong Yuan, Yiqiao Song, Lizhi Xiao, and David Weitz Physical Review Research (2026): https://doi.org/10.1103/p4bp-b8bz DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18193035 This dataset consists of time-resolved optical image sequences capturing fracture propagation during hydraulic fracturing experiments conducted with different fluids, including water, a glycerol–water mixture, and four polymer solutions. A total of twelve datasets are provided for six independent experiments. For each experiment, two multi-frame TIFF image stacks are included: (i) the raw image sequence acquired during the experiment, and (ii) a processed image sequence obtained by subtracting the first frame from all subsequent frames to enhance optical contrast. Each multi-frame TIFF dataset represents the complete fracture evolution from initiation through later-stage propagation. The processed image stacks preserve the original temporal resolution and pixel coordinates while emphasizing the dynamic features used for quantitative analysis. These image sequences were used to extract fracture front positions, fluid front dynamics, and characteristic length scales reported in the main text and Supplemental Material of the associated publication.