Multi-scale and Fractal Research on Advanced Manufacturing and Tribology

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the multi-scale properties of high-performance materials have garnered significant attention in many areas, particularly in the interdisciplinary fields of advanced manufacturing and tribology, both of which are highly correlated to surface features. The fractal method is a valuable multi-scale approach that has been employed to investigate the influence of surface topography on manufacturing processes. For example, fractal dimension has been recognized as a crucial indicator of surface integrity in advanced manufacturing. Comprehensive analysis at the macro-, meso- and micro-scales can enable an in-depth understanding of the machining process of composite materials, where the interface plays an important role. The complex contact behavior at the interface between the tool and the workpiece, such as the effect of surface patterns or the use of ultrasonic vibration on cutting force, is also of interest to engineers and scientists in the field of tribology. Over the last two decades, multi-scale analyses have been extensively conducted on the contact mechanics of rough surfaces. However, the physical mechanisms of many phenomena, such as those occurring in lubricated contact or considering adhesion effects, are still not completely understood. The purpose of this Special Issue is to promote the latest research results related to the multi-scale properties of materials and the tribological properties in advanced manufacturing technology. In this Special Issue, original research papers and critical reviews on the fundamentals of fractal analysis and multi-scale approaches and their applications in advanced manufacturing and tribology are welcome.

The scope and topics that are invited for submission include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Fractal analysis on manufactured surfaces;
• Multi-scale studies on advanced materials;
• The tool wear process at various scales;
• The characterization of rough surfaces;
• The measurement of surface topography;
• Tribology in machining processes;
• Multi-scale contact mechanics.

Dr. Feng Feng
Dr. Qiang Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fractal and Fractional is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• manufacturing
• rough surfaces
• fractal method
• multi-scale approach
• tribology
• contact mechanics
• wear
• friction
• lubrication