Assessing the Mechanical Properties of Metals using Fractal Dimension from Vibration Signals

Knowledge about the properties of materials is essential, especially in engineering and technology. By understanding the potential and performance of a material, the lifespan, reliability, and safety of the structure can be enhanced. Moreover, it can prevent undesirable engineering failures such as roof collapses or tool damage during manufacturing processes. Higuchi’s fractal analysis is employed in this study to investigate the fractal dimensions of square, rectangular, and circular specimens of stainless steel, mild steel, brass, and copper. The specimens were subjected with varying impact forces. The vibration data from those set of specimens was acquired using a piezoelectric film sensor system, where each specimen was subjected to impact forces ranging from 300 N to 800 N through an impact hammer. Fractal dimension values were extracted from the vibration signals using MATLAB software to quantify the complexity of the responses across different materials. The results indicate a consistent increase in fractal dimension with rising impact forces for all materials. These suggest that higher impact forces lead to more complex vibrational patterns. These findings highlight the pot