The United States of America as Represented by the United States Energy

The United States of America as Represented by the United States

Billy E Foster

Earl V Davis

A positioner is provided for placing plaque or wire penetrameters, as used in radiographic inspection, in close proximity with the inner wall of tubing at any desired location along the tubing. The positioner head carrying the penetrameter is inflatable whereby it is positioned in the deflated condition, inflated to place the penetrameter against a weld to be inspected in the tubing wall, and then deflated during removal. If desired, the penetrameter holder may be used to center the radiographic source on the axis of the tube.

Penetrameter positioner for bore-side radiography of tubes

A method of simulating small spherical voids in metal is provided. The method entails drilling or etching a hemispherical depression of the desired diameter in each of two sections of metal, the sections being flat plates or different diameter cylinders. A carbon bead is placed in one of the hemispherical voids and is used as a guide to align the second hemispherical void with that in the other plate. The plates are then bonded together with epoxy, tape or similar material and the two aligned hemispheres form a sphere within the material; thus a void of a known size has been created. This type of void can be used to simulate a pore in the development of radiographic techniques of actual voids (porosity) in welds and serve as a radiographic standard.

Method of simulating spherical voids for use as a radiographic standard

A method of determining the pitch and eccentricity of the winding of a coil unit is provided. It specifically relates to nondestructively examining completely encased heating coils used to simulate the heat generated from fuel rods in reactor studies. The method comprises (1) the use of an x-ray transmission technique through the axial centerline of the coil unit after the winding of the coil unit has been completely encased, (2) the use of a radiation detection instrument to monitor the transmitted radiation, and (3) the use of recording instrumentation calibrated as a function of the distance between windings. A change in the pitch of the winding is detected by a general increase or decrease in the distance between recorded peaks of the transmitted radiation. Eccentricity is detected by a consistent variation in distance between peaks occuring in alternate pairs.

High speed radiation scanning technique for simultaneously determining

A film cassette is provided which may be easily placed about tubing or piping and readily held in place while radiographic inspection is performed. A pair of precurved light-impervious semi-rigid plastic sheets, hinged at one edge, enclose sheet film together with any metallic foils or screens. Other edges are made light-tight with removable caps, and the entire unit is held securely about the object to be radiographed with a releasable fastener such as a strip of Velcro.

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Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America

Billy E Foster