Fractal Characterization of Typical Metal Materials Based on Surface Topography Analysis

The surface topography of typical metal materials was analysed based on fractal theory. Six kind of metal materials were machined under the same turning parameters and the corresponding fractal dimension D of surface topography was calculated. The results indicate that the fractal dimension D can reflect the complexity of the surface morphology of metal materials; the fractal dimension D of ferrous metal materials is higher than nonferrous metal materials; no obvious linear relationship found between surface roughness Ra and fractal dimension D; fractal dimension D could reveal the intrinsic properties and the machinability of metal material with further analysis. (paper)