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Radiography in Modern Industry - Kodak

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Figure 21: Schematic diagram of some of the ways x- or gamma-ray energy is dissipatedon pass<strong>in</strong>g through matter. Electrons from specimens are usually unimportantradiographically; those from lead foil screens are very important.This <strong>in</strong>verse square law can be expressed algebraically as follows:where I 1 and I 2 are the <strong>in</strong>tensities at the distances D 1 and D 2 respectively.Radiation Absorption In The SpecimenWhen x-rays or gamma rays strike an absorber (See Figure 21), some of the radiation isabsorbed and another portion passes through undeviated. It is the <strong>in</strong>tensity variation of theundeviated radiation from area to area <strong>in</strong> the specimen that forms the useful image <strong>in</strong> aradiograph. However, not all the radiation is either completely removed from the beam ortransmitted. Some is deviated with<strong>in</strong> the specimen from its orig<strong>in</strong>al direction--that is, it is scatteredand is nonimage-form<strong>in</strong>g. This nonimage-form<strong>in</strong>g scattered radiation, if not carefully controlled,will expose the film and thus tend to obscure the useful radiographic image. Scattered radiationand the means for reduc<strong>in</strong>g its effects are discussed <strong>in</strong> detail <strong>in</strong> "Scattered Radiation". Anotherportion of the energy <strong>in</strong> the orig<strong>in</strong>al beam is spent <strong>in</strong> liberat<strong>in</strong>g electrons from the absorber. Theelectrons from the specimen are unimportant radiographically; those from lead screens,discussed <strong>in</strong> detail <strong>in</strong> "Radiographic Screens", are very important.X-ray EquivalencyIf <strong>in</strong>dustrial radiography were done with monoenergetic radiation, that is, with an x-ray beamconta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g but a s<strong>in</strong>gle wavelength, and if there were no scatter<strong>in</strong>g, the laws of absorption of x-rays by matter could be stated mathematically with great exactness. However, s<strong>in</strong>ce a broadband of wavelengths is used and s<strong>in</strong>ce considerable scattered radiation reaches the film, the lawscan be given only <strong>in</strong> a general way.The x-ray absorption of a specimen depends on its thickness, on its density and, most importantof all, on the atomic nature of the material. It is obvious that of two specimens of similarcomposition, the thicker or the more dense will absorb the more radiation, necessitat<strong>in</strong>g an<strong>Radiography</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Modern</strong> <strong>Industry</strong> 31

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