Industry and Manufacturing
Radioisotopes Help Create Better Products
With radioisotopes, manufacturers can find hidden defects in hardware and make wear tests on finished products.
Using radioisotopes in manufacturing depends, for the most part, on the fact that radiation loses energy as it passes through substances. Radioisotopes area used to monitor and control thicknesses when making plastics, paper, and film for cameras. The radiation that passes through the material is measured and compared with the radiation that would pass through a material of the correct thickness. If more radiation is measured, the material is too thin. If less is measured, the material is too thick. Instruments sensitive to the measurements activate controls to maintain the proper thickness. In this way, materials can be monitored without being touched.
Radioisotopes also function in gauging devices. For example, they can measure the amount of glue on a postage stamp or how much sugar is in a packaged food such as cereal.
Another process, called radiography, uses radioisotopes to inspect many types of metals and machines for defects. The process is similar to material inspection with x-rays, except that the radiation source is portable and more penetrating. The portable source relies on a radioisotope that has a very penetrating radiation, such as cobalt-60. The portable source is easier to use, suitable for inspecting a wide range of materials, and less expensive than a large machine that would be necessary to produce the same amount of penetrating radiation. Radiography makes it possible to find invisible cracks and manufacturing flaws in structural materials, welds, and cast metals.
Test-and-Wear Applications
Radioisotopes are used in industry and manufacturing to develop strong and uniform products. For testing, they can be added to products such as metal machine parts, tire rubber, and engine oil.
Using sensitive radiation detectors, researchers can quickly determine the location and amount of wear that these materials receive. Manufacturers can then make machines and materials that last longer and operate more reliably.
Products That We Buy
Radioisotopes have a number of applications for consumer goods. These are the types of products we buy for ourselves in grocery, clothing, and hardware stores.
Radioisotopes are used to produce the “shrink wrap” used in packaging many items. First, special film is treated with radiation. Later on, during packaging, the plastic film is heated, which causes it to shrink to fit the shape of the product. Similar processes are used on everything from soft drink bottles to plastic insulation on wires.
Radioisotopes can also enable antistatic devices in copy machines to keep paper sheets from sticking. They can also be used on lint brushes to eliminate the static electricity from clothing.
A very important use of radioisotopes at home is the small amount of americium-241 that's found in many household smoke detectors. The radioisotope is part of the sensing unit that triggers the alarm when smoke is present.
Radioluminescence-the light produced using energy released during the radioactive decay process, is an important commercial application of radioisotopes. Luminous watch dials that depended on the natural radioactivity of radium-226 were commonplace years ago. Illuminated “exit” signs that are powered by tritium serve as reliable safety markers on passenger aircraft, aboard ships, and in many buildings.
Emergency lighting on offshore oil rights and in lifeboats has extended this use of tritium. Since 1984, tritium lights have been used to mark the edges of airport runways at remote communities in Alaska, where conventional electric lighting systems are impractical.
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