Abstract:

The fractal dimension of size distribution of particles in porous medium clay is a index preferably reflecting the size distribution and space-packing capability of clay particles,which has been used to denote the capabili-ties of water holding and packing for soil.In this paper,a model that is appropriates for the calculation of fractal di-mension with digital micro-analysis is established,and a new method to calculate the fractal dimension is proposed-with some types of clays in South China as the porous medium samples.The results show that the value of fractal di-mension obtained by the proposed method ranges from 2.270 8 to 2.948 3,which accord with that obtained by oth.ers methods.Thus,great correctness and practicability of the proposed model and method are reveled,and a new method and coresponding criterion are presented for the evaluation or soil texture and the investigation into the packing and rheological capabilities,etc.

Key words: porous medium, clay, size distribution, fractal dimension, digital micro-analysis