RTFI Q&E (CTMS 308196) PARTICIPANT INFORMATION GEOMETRIC UNSHARPNESS Geometric unsharpness also called penumbra is the fuzziness of the image on a radiograph. There are three factors which effect the geometric unsharpness on a radiograph. © The size of the radiation source also known as focal spot The distance from the radiation source to the object being radiographed 9 The distance from the source side of the object being radiographed to the film Geometric unsharpness is measured in inches. For better sensitivity and definition, geometric unsharpness should be kept to a minimum. Figures 13, 14 and 15 illustrate the effect of each of the three factors on geometric unsharpness. 5 neon incu ¥ source £7 source! given a source I SPECIMEN \ ‘ Figure 13. Effect of source size on geometric unsharpness 2RTFI Q&E (CTMS 308196) PARTICIPANT GEOMETRIC UNSHARPNESS (CONT’D) 7 i source sourcero. 1 specimen” | 1 Bisrance $4 Figure 15. Effect of object-to-flm distance on geometric unsharpness insharpness INFORMATION BRTFI Q&E (CTMS 308196) PARTICIPANT INFORMATION GEOMETRIC UNSHARPNESS (CONT’D) The following formula is used to calculate geometric unsharpness Ft D U; Where: Ug = Geometric unsharpness F = Effective source size or focal spot t= Object-to-film distance D = Source-to-object distance ‘The effective source size for a gamma ray source can be determined from the decay chart provided with each isotope and is calculated as follows: F = (axa) +(bxb) Where: F = effective focal spot size a= source diameter b= source length The focal spot for an x-ray machine can be found on the manufacturer's applied nameplate. The table below lists the maximum geometric unsharpness allowed by SAEP- 1143 Table 4. Material Thickness Ug Inches ‘Maximum inches Under 2 0020 2 through 3 0030 Over 3 through 4 040 Greater than 4 0070 m4RTFI Q&E (CTMS 308196) PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FILM CHARACTERISTICS Film type, film speed and film graininess are factors that a radiographic film interpreter must be familiar with. SAEP-1143 par. 5.2.1 specifies that Type | (low speed, very high contrast) and Type il (medium speed, high contrast) film shall be used. Film graininess is the clumps of minute silver grains visible on a radiograph. Figure 16 is a magnified illustration of the difference in coarse and fine grain film wv resus wee a, | eee 8 D ears, Pah Ong OF U e hfe 008006 ® FNL 00,55 seers’. WrIOKe § > ps p20 tp’ oa vg Rage 2 BNO NEES Toro Figure 16. Radiographic contrast is the ability of a radiograph to show film density differences and is a combination of subject contrast and film contrast. Subject contrast is the ratio of radiation intensity passing through different areas of a material. A material that has a wide change in thickness has high subject contrast. Film contrast is the characteristic ability of a specific type of film to show varying film densities.RTFI Q&E (CTMS 308196) PARTICIPANT [NFORMATION FILM CHARACTERISTICS (CONT'D) Latitude is the ability of a radiograph to show a wide thickness range. As latitude increases, contrast decreases and vice versa. Figure 17A shows a radiograph with wide latitude but poor contrast. Figure 17B shows a radiograph with low latitude and high contrast. Figure 17. Film speed is a relative measure of the amount of radiation exposure that a radiograph requires to achieve the appropriate film density. A film with a slower speed has less graininess with better contrast and definition, but requires longer exposure time. Consequently, a film with a faster speed has more graininess with lower contrast and poorer definition, but requires a shorter exposure time. 26