A NEW RADIOGRAPHIC CORROSION INSPECTION CAPABILITY

CORROSION OF EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL IS AN UNBIQUITOUS NATIONAL PROBLEM COSTING THE U.S. ECONOMY OVER $70 BILLIONS ANNUALLY. REALTIME RADIOGRAPHY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF SEVERAL PROMISING NEW NDE TECHNOLOGIES BECAUSE OF ITS POTENTIAL ABILITY TO SOLVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF EXISTING CORROSION INSPECTION PROBLEMS. YET, IN SPITE OF ITS POTENTIALL ADVANTAGES, REAL-TIME RADIOGRAPHY HAS NOT YET DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER ABILITY THAN OTHER COMPETING MODALITIES TO DETECT THE EARLY STAGES OF CORROSION WHEN CORRECTIVE ACTIONS CAN MOST EFFICIENTLY BE TAKEN. A DUAL-ENERGY RADIOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE IS PROPOSED WHICH WILLL SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE CORROSION DETECTION AND DAMAGE ASSESSMENT CAPABILITIES OF REAL-TIME SYSTEMS. THE MAIN ADVANTAGE OF THE PROPOSED METHOD IS THAT IT IMPROVES THE CONSPICUITY OF DETAIL IN A DIGITAL IN A DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY BY GREATLY REDUCING THE STRUCTUAL NOISE IN THE IMAGE. THE IMPROVED SENSITIVITY OFFERED BY DUAL-ENERGY METHODS COULD ALTERNATIVELY BE TRADED FOR AN EQUIVALENT DETECTIBIITY AT A MUCH LOWER DOSE LEVEL, AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION FOR ON-BOARD OR IN-SITU INSPECTIONS. IN ADDITION, THE DUAL-ENERGY RADIOGRPAHY ALSO ALLOWS THE USER TO IDENTIFY MATERIALS IN THE OBJECT UNDER EXAMINATION.