ASTM International

Standard Guide for X-Ray Compton Scatter Tomography
 N E1931

Annotation

Purpose—This guide covers a tutorial introduction to familiarize the reader with the operational capabilities and limitations inherent in X-ray Compton Scatter Tomography (CST). Also included is a brief description of the physics and typical hardware configuration for CST.

Advantages—X-ray Compton Scatter Tomography (CST) is a radiologic nondestructive examination method with several advantages that include:

The ability to perform X-ray examination without access to the opposite side of the examination object;

The X-ray beam need not completely penetrate the examination object allowing thick objects to be partially examined. Thick examination objects become part of the radiation shielding thereby reducing the radiation hazard;

The ability to examine and image object subsurface features with minimal influence from surface features;

The ability to obtain high-contrast images from low subject contrast materials that normally produce low-contrast images when using traditional transmitted beam X-ray imaging methods; and

The ability to obtain depth information of object features thereby providing a three-dimensional examination. The ability to obtain depth information presupposes the use of a highly collimated detector system having a narrow angle of acceptance.

Applications—This guide does not specify which examination objects are suitable, or unsuitable, for CST. As with most nondestructive examination techniques, CST is highly application specific thereby requiring the suitability of the method to be first demonstrated in the application laboratory. This guide does not provide guidance in the standardized practice or application of CST techniques. No guidance is provided concerning the acceptance or rejection of examination objects examined with CST.