Non-destructive analysis of miniaturized fusion materials samples and irradiation capsules by X-ray micro-tomography

Recently, at the Association EURATOM-MEC (Romania), a laboratory for X-ray micro-tomography was established with European Community support. Its research is focused on NDT inspection of miniaturized samples of fusion materials and irradiation capsules for IFMIF environment conditions. X-ray tomography as an NDT tool for fusion material samples can provide information on: density variations, micro-cracks development by mechanical/thermal cycling, permeability of porous materials, component microstructure integrity and 3D accurate geometrical measurements. Our facility permits high resolution cone-beam tomography of miniaturized samples as well as an innovative oblique view inspection of the flat samples or components as irradiation capsules, IFMIF Li-target backplate, etc. It has been demonstrated that our system can be used for a large range of samples with regards to size, material and complexity. For the individual miniaturized samples, the micro-tomography analysis is guaranteed for feature recognition down to a few micrometers. A space resolution of tens of micrometers for irradiation capsules of around 100 mm characteristic dimension is currently obtained. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.