Overview of neutron radiology

Conference · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:64659

Berger, H ^[1]

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1. Industrial Quality, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD (United States)

Neutron radiography is a recognized method for nondestructive testing (NDT). It is one of eight established NDT methods offered for certification by ASNT. There are ASTM standards describing selected characteristics associated with neutron radiography, as discussed later in this session. Neutron radiography standards are proceeding in the international community (International Organization for Standardization, ISO). A primary advantage of using neutrons for radiologic inspection follows from the fact that the attenuation of thermal neutrons is very different from that of X-rays. A comparison of the attenuation of the elements for thermal neutrons (small dots) and 125 kV X-rays (solid line) is shown. As opposed to the increasing attenuation with increasing atomic number (Z) for X-rays, the neutron attenuation pattern is scattered. If there is a pattern for the neutrons, it tends to be the reverse of the X-ray case, namely, high neutron attenuation for light materials, such as hydrogen, lithium, and boron (H, Li, and B) and low attenuation for the heavy materials, such as lead, bismuth, and uranium (Pb, Bi, and U). The capability of thermal neutrons to image low-Z material, particularly hydrogen, in metal assemblies is in sharp contrast to that of X-rays. This opens up many practical inspection applications involving, for example, explosives, adhesives, corrosion, water intrusion, and hydriding of metals.

• OSTI ID: 64659
• Report Number(s): CONF-931193--; ISBN 0-931403-23-5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
DIGITAL SYSTEMS
IMAGE PROCESSING
IMAGES
NEUTRON DETECTORS
NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHIC FILMS
USES