Radioisotope method potentialities in machine reliability and durability enhancement

The development of a surface activation method is reviewed with regard to wear of machine parts. Examples demonstrating the highly promising aspects and practical application of the method are cited. The use of high-sensitivity instruments and variation of activation depth from 10 um to 0.5 mm allows to perform the investigations at a sensitivity of 0.05 um and to estimate the linear values of machine wear. Standard diagrams are presented for measuring the wear of different machine parts by means of surface activation. Investigations performed at several Soviet technological institutes afford a set of dependences, which characterize the distribution of radioactive isotopes in depth under different conditions of activation of diverse metals and alloys and permit to study the wear of any metal