SCALE-SENSITIVITY, FRACTAL ANALYSIS AND SIMULATIONS

The scale-of-interaction is presented as a criterion for establishing functional correlations. It is also used in simulating interactions wi th rough surfaces. Fractal analysis by the patchwork method is discuss ed and is used as the basis for evaluating data acquisition systems. T he patchwork method is also used as the basis for simulating interacti ons with the surface. The essence of the simulation is to understand m acroscopic, apparently continuous, interactions as the sum of a large number of discrete interactions at some appropriately fine scale. The simulations shown here use topographic data acquired from engineering surfaces. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.