| Description |
A specialized, lead-lined room houses two sediment core x-ray systems used for non- destructive viewing of fine- scale structure in sediment, coral, and rock cores or slabs:
- System 1 is a real-time, digital, scanning x-radiographic system used to survey/scan cores prior to splitting or prior to shooting onto high-resolution film.
- System 2 is a x-ray cabinet for short cores or slabs.
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Equipment
and
Technique |
X-radiography is a widely accepted method in sedimentological and geotechnical research, and
X-Radiography can delineate many subtle features such as bioturbation and thin laminations in the core that are not visible to the naked eye.
X-radiography is an excellent investigative tool for studying the seafloor sediment, interpreting sedimentation history, climatic change, biologic mixing, and environmental monitoring.
Whole core, half core, or slabs sediment cores may be scanned, and the investigator can control the mA, kV and exposure of the X-Ray to attain the best image.
Thin cores of rock or coral should also be able to successfully undergo X-Radiographic analyses.
The X-Radiographic scanning technique produces real time, continuous digital radiographs of 8-cm diameter cores or core sections up to 1.5 m long and/or 15 cm wide.
Investigators can, for example, X-Ray a core or core section 1.5 m long and 4 cm thick in about 5 minutes.
The digital images can be enhanced and processed then stored on disk, eliminating the use of film and photochemicals, and film processing.
The X-Ray scanning system is composed of an X-Ray head mounted to a special, 3.3 m (11') long frame.
The X-Ray head is mounted about 50 cm above a special conveyor table that acts as a movable sample platform.
The conveyor system allows for the longitudinal movement of the core below the X-Ray head.
The image is captured by a detector and networked to a monitor and computer running a windows-based radiographic software package that allows the investigator to enhance, analyze, document, and store X-Ray imagery.
The system allows the investigator to enhance X-Radiographs by using powerful enhancement tools such as noise reduction, edge, and contrast enhancement combined with the ability to measure distance, add point line and area histograms, and annotate the images before printing and storing them on a floppy or JAZ drive.
Final images can be saved in a tiff format and be printed on plotter or photographic paper.
The Faxitron analog X-Ray system is a relatively small oven-shaped box that handles short (<60 cm X 30 cm) core sections or slabs, and has an auto exposure system.
The X-Ray image is collected on film, and can be scanned and digitized.
The digitized image can be manipulated and enhanced with various image processing software for subsequent analysis.
The system is stout enough and small enough to be used in the field when combined with a portable X-Ray film processing system.
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