Radiation

In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission

of energy in the form of waves or particles through
space or through a material medium. This includes:
electromagnetic radiation, such as heat, radio
waves, visible light, x-rays, and gamma radiation (),
particle radiation, such as alpha radiation (), beta
radiation (), and neutron radiation (particles of non-
zero rest energy)
acoustic radiation, such as ultrasound, sound,
and seismic waves (dependent on a physical
transmission medium)
gravitational radiation, radiation that takes the form of
gravitational waves, or ripples in the curvature of
spacetime.
Illustration of the relative abilities of three different types of ionizing radiation to penetrate
solid matter. Typical alpha particles () are stopped by a sheet of paper, while beta particles
() are stopped by an aluminum plate. Gamma radiation () is damped when it penetrates
lead. Note caveats in the text about this simplified diagram.
 Radiation is often categorized as
either ionizing or non-ionizing depending on the
energy of the radiated particles.
Ionizing radiation carries more than 10 eV, which is
enough to ionize atoms and molecules, and
break chemical bonds.
A common source of ionizing radiation
is radioactive materials that emit , , or radiation,
consisting of helium nuclei, electrons or positrons,
and photons, respectively.
Other sources include X-rays from
medical radiography examinations.
 Gamma rays, X-rays and the higher energy range
of ultraviolet light constitute the ionizing part of
the electromagnetic spectrum.
The lower-energy, longer-wavelength part of
the spectrum including visible light, infrared
light, microwaves, and radio waves is non-
ionizing; its main effect when interacting with
tissue is heating.
This type of radiation only damages cells if the
intensity is high enough to cause excessive
heating.
Ultraviolet radiation has some features of both
ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.
 Electromagnetic Radiation
The radiation used in Radiography testing is a higher energy
(shorter wavelength) version of the electromagnetic waves
that we see every day. Visible light is in the same family as x-
rays and gamma rays.
 What is radiographic testing?

Radiographic Testing (RT), or

industrial radiography, is a
nondestructive testing(NDT) method of
inspecting materials for hidden flaws by using
the ability of short wavelength
electromagnetic radiation (high energy
photons) to penetrate various materials.
 Which type of radiation is used for
NDT?
Welds may be tested using NDT techniques
such as industrial radiography or industrial CT
scanning using X-rays or gamma rays,
ultrasonic testing.
 A 'computerized
tomography' (CT) (or
'computerized axial
tomography'
(CAT) scan) uses a
computer that takes
data from several X-ray
images of structures
inside a human's or
animal's body and
converts them into
pictures on a monitor.
 General Principles
of Radiography
The part is placed between the radiation source
and a piece of film. The part will stop some of the
radiation. Thicker and more dense area will stop
more of the radiation.

The film darkness (density) will

vary with the amount of
radiation reaching the film
through the test object.
X-ray film

= less exposure

= more exposure
Top view of developed film
 General Principles
of Radiography
The energy of the radiation affects its penetrating power.
Higher energy radiation can penetrate thicker and more
dense materials.
The radiation energy and/or exposure time must be
controlled to properly image the region of interest.

Thin Walled Area

Low Energy Radiation High energy Radiation

 IDL 2001

Flaw Orientation
Optimum
Radiography has Angle = easy to
sensitivity limitations
when detecting detect
cracks.

= not easy
to detect

X-rays see a crack as a thickness variation and the larger the

variation, the easier the crack is to detect.

When the path of the x-rays is not parallel to a crack, the thickness variation is
less and the crack may not be visible.
 IDL 2001

Flaw Orientation (cont.)

Since the angle between the radiation beam and a crack or other linear
defect is so critical, the orientation of defect must be well known if
radiography is going to be used to perform the inspection.

0o 10o 20o
 Radiation Sources
Two of the most commonly used sources of radiation in
industrial radiography are x-ray generators and gamma ray
sources. Industrial radiography is often subdivided into
X-ray Radiography or Gamma Radiography, depending
on the source of radiation used.
 There are two different radioactive
sources available for industrial use
X-ray and Gamma-ray. These radiation sources
use higher energy level, i.e. shorter
wavelength, versions of the electromagnetic
waves. Because of the radioactivity involved in
radiography testing, it is of paramount
importance to ensure that the Local Rules is
strictly adhered during operation.
 In industrial radiography there are several
imaging methods available, techniques to
display the final image, i.e.
Film Radiography,
Real Time Radiography (RTR),
Computed Tomography (CT),
Digital Radiography (DR), and
Computed Radiography (CR).