Status of flash radiography in the USA today and future possibilities

A listing of presently employed flash x-ray generators is given including low-energy, commercially available systems and high-energy very specialized installations in government laboratories. These flash x-ray sources are compared as to radiographic characteristics. Imaging techniques and materials are surveyed and compared as to their advantages and limitations. A variety of applications of flash radiography are cited including explosive, ballistic, diffraction, crash injury, and fuel injection. Probable near term advances in special techniques are mentioned in cine radiography and film image enhancement. Possible future developments are speculated upon such as flash radiographic applications of computerized axial tomography. The recent recognition of flash radiography at professional society conferences is reviewed