Applied Fractal Geometry and Powder Technology

Powder technology is important to many industries including mining, food processing, paint technology, powder metallurgy and space research. Applied fractal geometry is being used in these industries to describe and comprehend the complex interactions of many causes. The topics to be discussed in this review include, the study of important fractally structured pigments, the fractal structure of hazardous fumes, and the role of fractal soot in world climate studies. We shall discuss in particular the way in which fractal dimensions derived from the study of the avalanching behaviour of powder heaps are creating a revolution in powder rheology.