Densitometry of Powder Metallurgy Parts Using Digital Radiography

Density of manufactured specimens by powder metallurgy method is very important in determining their final quality and useful life. Existing cavities and porosity can cause changes in the density of the samples and reduce their strength. The Archimedean method is used to examine the samples’ density, in which some parts with specific dimensions of the samples are cut and their density is calculated by measuring their weight and volume. The use of non-destructive methods is preferable because of their non-destructive nature during density measurement. In this study, digital radiography testing (DRT) is proposed for this aim. The basis of DRT is X-ray attenuation in the material and it is a non-destructive test. By this technique, the density of different auto parts was evaluated by industrial digital radiography and was compared with the Archimedean method. The results show that this method has the sufficient accuracy and efficiency to measure the density of parts without damaging them. Also, using this method, the internal structure of the object and its defects can be examined.