Nondestructive evaluation of ceramic components by γ-ray CT

Results of γ-ray Computed Tomography (CT) examination of ceramic parts in various stages of the manufacturing process are presented in this paper. The ceramic samples were prepared by injection-molding and examined in three stages: before sintering and after HIPing. CT tests were performed at AECL Research, Chalk River Laboratories. The uniformity of the material distribution in ceramic parts was measured by measuring density gradients in CT images, with an accuracy of between 0.2% and 0.5% in various scans. The results demonstrate that the CT technique is very useful, particularly for monitoring changes in material distribution during various stages of the fabrication process and for providing comparisons between technologically different processes