APPLICATION OF IMAGE-ANALYSIS FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS OF FEATURES IN MICROSTRUCTURE

A number of microstructural processes are sensitive to the spatial arrangements of features in microstructure. However, very little attention has been given in the past to the experimental measurements of the descriptors of microstructural distance distributions due to the lack of practically feasible methods. We present a digital image analysis procedure to estimate the microstructural distance distributions. The application of the technique is demonstrated via estimation of K function, radial distribution function, and nearest-neighbor distribution function of hollow spherical carbon particulates in a polymer matrix composite, observed in a metallographic section.