X-ray and Neutron Radiography for Quantitative Material Reconstructions

Journal Article · Wed May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2025.3572420· OSTI ID:2572183

Gilbert, Andrew J.; Campbell, Luke W.; Deshmukh, Nikhil S.; Hausladen, Paul; Heath, Matthew R.; Kasparek, Dustin M.; Misurek, Lauren; Rose, Paul; Schmitt, Kyle T.

Radiography is a powerful tool to determine the interior structure of objects. X-ray radiography is widely used and provides high-resolution images, though X-rays have limited transmission through materials of high atomic number (Z) and density. In contrast, neutrons can penetrate many materials that are heavily attenuating to X-rays, such as metals, providing contrast in the inner layers of highly attenuating items. Past work has shown the value in using both X-ray and neutron radiography for estimating material thicknesses, though that work was limited to simulated data. Here, we demonstrate quantitative material reconstructions using experimental X-ray and neutron radiography data from lab-based systems, accurately modeling radiography system responses to within a few percent to enable quantitative measures of material thickness. We demonstrate the utility of neutron radiography and X-ray radiography for these quantitative reconstructions and introduce methods for using their complementarity to improve image quality and optimize experimental design.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 2572183
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-204523
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 72
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English