RADIOGRAPHIC TESTING

A non-destructive testing method of inspecting materials for hidden flaws by using the ability of short wavelength electromagnetic radiation (high energy photons) to penetrate various materials.

Either an X-ray machine or a radioactive source, like Ir-192, Co-60 (or in rarer cases Cs-137) are used in an X-ray computed tomography machine as a source of photons.

Industries either employ film based radiography or digital sensor based radiography.

Since the amount of radiation emerging from the opposite side of the material can be detected and measured, variations in this amount (or intensity) of radiation are used to determine thickness or composition of the material.

Penetrating radiations are those restricted to that part of the electromagnetic spectrum of wavelength less than about 10 nanometers.