Automatic Analysis of Radiographic Images for Non Destructive Test Applications

Radiographic inspection is a reliable non-destructive test, widely used for integrity evaluation of structures and equipments. Nowadays, high quality images with very accurate resolutions have been supported by modern digital radiographic systems. However, the image analysis for internal defect detection and geometric characterization is still a not totally automated task. The main reason is that image analysis is usually a very complex task, which involves heuristic decisions based on experiences, as object detection and recognition. For that reason, a new automatic radiographic image analysis system was developed in order to identify important components or component parts, which must be inspected separately, as weld joints, pipe walls, pipe wall thicknesses, valves and mechanical parts. The developed methodology involves the use of a genetic algorithm search to find desirable patterns on the image. Image indexing procedures are used for a final verification process. As a result, the system offers quick and correct answers and also flexibility to be applied in others applications.