Application of Fractal Analysis to Quantitative Evaluation Three-Dimensional Shape Irregularity of Concrete Aggregates
Masashi Fujikawa, Tatsuo Sakai and Shigemasa Aoki
Abstract:Artificial aggregates made from the natural rocks are usually used as the concrete material, since the natural aggregates along the rivers can not be used due to the strict restriction to maintain the human society. The shape of these aggregates distinctly varies depending on the step of the producing processes such as blasting, crushing and screening. In this study, a quantitative analysis for the shape irregularity of such aggregates was attempted by applying the concept of fractal proposed by B. B. Mandelbrot. The Richardson effect was clearly confirmed between the total surface S and the measuring unit length e. This fact indicates that the shape irregularity of the aggregates has the fractal aspect and the present method is applicable to the shape irregularity analysis. Thus it was finally found that the shape irregularity of the aggregates was successfully evaluated by combining the fractal dimension D and the body-shape irregularity index D*. Key Words:Fractal analysis, Concrete aggregates, Shape irregularity, Curved surface, Multifacets