X-ray computed tomography (XCT) is a non-destructive method of examining the internal structure of components.
NSI ImagiX CT Scanner
The ImagiX is equipped with an X-ray tube that contains a tungsten anode and is capable of operating up to 150kV tube voltage, with various spot sizes:-
- Small spot size: 5μm up to 4W, 7μm between 4 and 10W
- Medium spot size: 20μm up to 30W
- Large spot size: 50μm up to 75W
The detector is of the indirect conversion flat panel type, and has a pixel matrix of 1024 x 1024 with a pitch of 127µm.
The final isotropic voxel size in a reconstructed tomograph depends on both the X-ray tube spot size and magnification. The smallest achievable isotropic voxel size is ~4.9µm, for samples of ~3mm in diameter.
It is possible to perform a VorteX (helical) scan for long and thin objects (~100mm) while at the same time achieving a reasonably small voxel size.
The projection data is reconstructed into a tomograph based on the Feldkamp algorithm using the efX-ct software. An executable can be created for viewing the tomograph without the need of NSI software installation. In addition 2D slices, videos and snapshots from the tomograph can be exported.
Further analysis can be carried out on the reconstructed dataset using established commercial software such as VG Studio and Amira-Avizo, or open source software such as ImageJ.
Equipment funding was provided by EPSRC Grant EP/J013501/1.
