Research Initiation Award: Microstructural Characterization of Nickel Aluminides Using Fracatal Geometry

目的是研究分形几何在表征镍铝化物微观结构中的应用。利用数字成像技术，结合多重分维几何方法，对各种镍铝化物进行显微分析，为每种微观结构产生一组“多重分维”的特征。它们既可用于微观组织预测，也可用于与宏观性能(如屈服强度)相关的预测。在镍铝化物的微观结构中存在着强烈的“自相似”迹象，从而使它们成为基于自相似概念的分形分析的候选对象。这些信息随后可以与宏观特性(例如屈服强度)相关。与目前使用的方法相比，这代表着一种潜在的巨大改进，目前使用的方法只将屈服强度与一个参数，即晶粒度联系起来。

The objective is to investigate the use of fractal geometry in the characterization of nickel aluminide microstructures. Various nickel aluminides will be analyzed microscopically using digital imaging techniques, in combination with the methods of multi-fractal geometry to produce a characteristic set of "multiple-fractal dimensions" for each microstructure. They can be used for both microstructural prediction and for relating to macroscopic properties such as yield strength. Strong indications of "self-similarity" exist in nickel aluminide microstructures, thus making them candidates for fractal analysis, which is based on the concept of self-similarity. The information which can then be related to macroscopic properties such as yield strength. This represents a potential vast improvement over currently used methods which relate yield strength to only one parameter, namely grain size.