Nondestructive Testing of Armament-System Components by Means of Neutron Diffraction,

Abstract : In recent years, increasing emphasis has been placed on nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques for quality control in a large variety of applications. Progress in this area has considerable importance for DOD because of the increasing complexity and cost of armament systems and the inherent limitations of quality control by means of traditional, destructive test methods. This is dramatically illustrated by the on-going, multi-billion dollar DA plant modernization project within which incorporation of state-of-the art NDT methods is an essential part. Various NDT techniques in which x-rays are employed (e.g. radiography, diffraction) are already well established as quality control methods. The use of neutrons which complements and parallels x-ray techniques has been -- except for neutron radiography -- neglected for NDT, primarily because their use is generally limited to a laboratory environment (e.g. a research reactor). Despite this current limitation, there has been a renewed interest in utilizing neutron scattering for certain technological applications.