A modified box-counting method to estimate the fractal dimensions

A fractal is a property of self-similarity, each small part of the fractal object is similar to the whole body. The traditional box-counting method (TBCM) to estimate fractal dimension can not reflect the self-similar property of the fractal and leads to two major problems, the border effect and noninteger values of box size. The modified box-counting method (MBCM), proposed in this study, not only eliminate the shortcomings of the TBCM, but also reflects the physical meaning about the self-similar of the fractal. The applications of MBCM shows a good estimation compared with the theoretical ones, which the biggest difference is smaller than 5%. © (2011) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.