IMAGE-ANALYSIS PROCEDURES FOR CHARACTERIZING THE FRACTAL DIMENSION OF FINE PARTICLES

Fractal geometry developed by Mandelbrot is finding many applications in the description of rugged fineparticles and fineparticles systems such as packed powder beds. In the earlier publications dealing with the fractal structure of fineparticle boundaries a great deal of the experimental work was carried out manually. This was time consuming and limited the amount of investigative work which could be undertaken in a given context. In this communication several algorithms for automating the evaluation of the fractal dimensions of rugged fineparticle boundaries by automated image analysis are explored. Comparative data generated by the various procedures are presented.