Standardization and Calibration of X-Radiographs Acquired with the ITRAX Core Scanner

A calibration procedure that uses a radiographic reference sample (RRS) to compensate for instrumental, time- and sample-related variations encountered with Itrax X-radiographs is introduced. This RRS is always included whenever a core section is run on the Itrax and it allows radiographs to be standardized. This allows different cores to be compared ultimately leading to increased efficiency, cost saving and scientific value. A standardization protocol is presented that corrects for X-ray tube output (ageing), different acquisition settings and sediment core properties (diameter and material). This allows for the direct comparison and accurate concatenation of radiographic images from long sequences. Other Itrax laboratories using an identical RRS can also share radiographic data. The standardized X-ray attenuation profiles from the Itrax compare very well with attenuation profiles obtained by CT-scan, a technology providing attenuation values very close to density and not influenced by sample thickness.

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