Industrial radiography is a method that uses gamma rays or X-rays to inspect internal structure of specific components and materials. Therefore, you can analyze specific parts of your products that are invisible to the naked eye, which makes it highly appealing and effective method for increasing overall efficiency of your process.
We recommend you to check here to learn more about industrial radiography. Other names for this particular application include radiographic examination, inspection, analysis and X-ray inspection. Generally, the main goal is to evaluate and identify potential and hidden flaws during inspections, such as:

- Corrosion – You can easily identify corrosion within tanks, pipelines, and other critical areas, meaning you can ensure the timely repair and maintenance.
- Crack Formation – Another way is to detect internal cracks in metals, composites, plastics and other places that are not visible to naked eye, as well as structural integrity.
- Weld Quality – You can evaluate the quality of welds by detecting imperfections such as lack of fusion, porosity and slag inclusions.
- Void Detection – With X-Ray inspection, you can reveal inclusions, voids and other internal defects in casting and welds that can easily compromise the reliability and strength of materials.
- Internal Assemblies – X-Ray inspection can determine whether internal structure is in perfect shape, especially regarding complex assemblies and machinery to ensure proper function and construction.
- Thickness – You should remember that thickness of material can make a difference between safe operation. Therefore, you must comply with safety standards and determine the overall tolerance of specific items, meaning you can rest assured afterward.
Things to Know About Industrial Radiography

When it comes to industrial radiography, you should remember that inspectors will use gamma or X-rays to create ionizing radiation to examine the internal structure of components and materials. That way, you can measure thickness, check out for potential flaws and ensure the overall integrity of different structures, without causing severe damage.
As a result, you should know that the fundamental principle of industrial radiography includes using ionizing radiation that will pass through different materials and capture the image on a digital detector or radiographic film.
The composition and density of materials will affect the strength of radiation, meaning you will get a contrast image to highlight potential defects and internal features. As mentioned above, industrial radiography takes advantage of two types of radiation, such as:
- X-Rays – They come from X-ray tubes, meaning you can use them for less dense and thinner materials. Since you will get the options with high energy levels, with it you can penetrate materials in various depths, making it ideal for detecting subsurface and surface defects and issues.
- Gamma Rays – On the other hand, you can use radioactive isotopes such as Cobalt-60 and Iridium-192, meaning gamma rays have more considerable penetrating power than X-rays. That way, you can rest assured when it comes to inspecting denser or thicker materials. It is highly usable in field applications.
The crucial steps that involve X-ray inspection include:
1. Setup and Preparation
The first thing you should do is choose the radiation source based on the ones mentioned above. The most common ones are gamma or X-rays depending on materials, thickness and other factors. Besides, you should determine the type of inspection before making up your mind.
The next step is positioning the object, because you must place it between the detector and radiographic source. We recommend you to ensure the object is properly aligned so you can easily capture the area you wanted in the first place
2. Exposure
You must activate the radiographic source to emit specific radiation. Remember that X-ray machines generate X-rays, while gamma ray sources emit cobalt-60 and iridium-192. Afterward, the emitted radiation must penetrate a specific object you want to analyze.
Generally, everything depends on a material object has, but the defect will attenuate and absorb radiations to different degrees depending on your specific consideration.
3. Imaging and Detection
The detector, which is a part of a machine will capture radiation that passes through a specific object. The amount of radiation varies based on material’s density and defect presence, which is vital factor to remember. Visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdSQ_vwj6dg to learn more about this particular topic.
The next step is ensuring the variation in radiation intensity which will be recorded by digital sensor or detector. As a result, you will receive an image that will reveal an internal structure of an object. If you have an area with higher density, the defects will appear darker in lighter regions of an image.
4. Processing and Development
Process requires using radiographic film that you can process in a darkroom, with an idea to get a physical image. We are talking about chemical processing that will allow you to capture a specific image based on your requirements.
Another option is to take advantage of digital radiography, meaning the data will undergo software processing and you will receive a digital image you can later analyze through a computer.