Fractal modeling method for 3D structure of vitrified-bonded wheel

Our goal is the development of the morphological model faithfully representing the structure of a real vitrified-bonded wheel in order to determine the wheel structure to meet a required wheel grade and derive the wheel composition to form such a wheel structure. This paper describes the two and new morphological model for a vitrified-bonded wheel using fractal modeling techniques. One model is the “agglomerate model of a plastic mixture” representing a plastic mixture before the burning process of a wheel on the basis of the diffusion-limited aggregation algorithm and another is the “morphological model of a burnt wheel” representing the structure of the burnt wheel on the basis of the sandpile algorithm. Both models bear resemblances to the real productions in structure. In particular, the morphological model of a burnt wheel bears resemblances not only in morphology but also in bulk density to real wheel structure, and it provides the structural characteristics such as average grain spacing and number of bond bridges per grain that relate to the tensile strength of wheels. Therefore, our models play an important role in the development of new wheels.