Considerations for the Design of a Multi-Color High-Speed X-Ray Computed Tomography Diagnostic

• Main Authors: Zellner, Michael B, Chaney, Gerard T, Benjamin, Chester A, Cantrell, Ronald, Borys, Robert W, Strickland, Robin D, Sturgill, Joshua M, Perrella, James A, Schafer, Gerald L, Yonce, Corey E
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: ACCURACY; COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY; COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY; DATA ACQUISITION; ELECTRICAL GROUNDING; ENERGY OUTPUT; ENERGY SELECTIVE; FLUX(RATE); FLUX-ENERGY CURVES; IMPULSE LOADING; MATERIAL SPECIFICITY; MEASUREMENT; Mechanics; Medicine and Medical Research; Nuclear Physics & Elementary Particle Physics; OUTPUT; PULSE POWER SOURCES; ROBUSTNESS; SHIELDING; STATIC DATA; THREE DIMENSIONAL; TIME; X RAYS; X-RAY FLUX

This report describes the development and work progress of designing and building an improved radiographic computed tomographic technique that has the potential to provide material specificity of a three-dimensional spatial field, relatively quickly in time (on the order of 100 ns), with mm3 voxel resolution (a voxel is the three-dimensional equivalent of a pixel). This report details thoughts and work performed focusing on potential issues regarding: the robustness of a structural frame and components of the diagnostic; how to obtain accurate measurements of the x-ray flux verses energy output of the multiple x-ray sources, which is necessary to obtain material specificity; electrical grounding and shielding of the numerous pulse power sources; and collection of static data that can be used to prove the premise of material specificity in a nondynamic state. Conclusions are made suggesting possible paths forward for construction of a device that would have the potential to make measurements of dynamic events with high-impulse loadings. The original document contains color images. Prepared in collaboration with Bowhead Science & Technology, Alexandria, VA, and Dynamic Science Inc., Aberdeen, MD.