Thin Layer Activation

Thin layer activation involves inducing radioactive species on the surface layer of a material, and subsequently measuring gamma ray emission to determine the corrosion rate. A high energy beam of charged particles is used to bombard a material’s surface, producing radioactive elements in the surface area. One example is the formation of Co56 within steel. This isotope will decay into Fe56, emitting gamma rays in the process. The change in gamma ray emission is used to determine the rate of material loss. A radioactive surface may be induced on system components or sample materials to be placed within the system.