Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author. 1-1 Tegatagakuen-cho, Akita 010-8502, Japan
Abstract: The fractal analysis of fracture surfaces using the three-dimensional images reconstructed by the computer-aided stereo matching method was reviewed in various materials. The fractal dimension of the fracture surface was estimated on 15 kinds of fracture surfaces such as fatigue fracture surfaces, creep fracture surfaces and impact fracture surfaces of metallic materials or ceramics, with fracture surface patterns including dimples, striations or grain-boundary facets. The fractal dimension of the fracture surface was compared to that of the fracture surface profile or the fracture surface contour on the reconstructed fracture surface images. The results of the fractal analysis seemed to indicate that the reconstructed material fracture surface images are generally not completely isotropic. When estimated in the length scale range that is associated with the size ranges of the principal fracture surface patterns on 10 kinds of fracture surfaces, the results of the three-dimensional fractal analysis were well correlated to those of the two-dimensional fractal analysis of the actual fracture surface profile of metallic materials or the indentation crack of ceramics. It was confirmed that the computer-aided stereo matching method can reproduce the principal fracture surface topography to give important information for investigation of material fracture, except subsurface cracks and overlaps of the fracture surface. For detailed geometrical analysis of material fracture surfaces, it is suitable to conduct the fractal analysis in correlation with the size range of the principal fracture surface patterns.
