THE X-RAY BEAM

JOYCE PAULINE MIRANDA, RRT

 SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Ceiling Support System C-arm Support System

Floor-to-ceiling Support
System
CEILING SUPPORT SYSTEM

The most frequently used.

Consists of two
perpendicular sets of ceiling
mounted rails.

A telescoping column
attaches the x-ray tube to the
housing rails.
FLOOR-TO-CEILING SUPPORT SYSTEM

Variation: Single floor

support system.

Single column with rollers at

each end, one attached to the
a ceiling mounted rail and the
other attached to a floor-
mounted rail.
C-ARM SUPPORT SYSTEM

Shaped like a “C”

The IR is attached to the

other end of the C-arm from
the x-ray tube.

Variations: L-arm, U-arm

PROTECTIVE HOUSING

Guards against:

Excessive radiation exposure

Electric shock

Mechanical Support
Limit: Less than 100mR/hr at 1 meter
 PROTECTIVE HOUSING

The protective housing around

some x-ray tubes contains oil
that serves as:

Insulator

Thermal
Cushion
GLASS OR METAL ENCLOSURE

The glass enclosure is

made of Pyrex glass.

The enclosure maintains a

vacuum inside the tube to
allow for more efficient x-ray
production and longer tube life.
Crookes Tube

Used in early x-ray tubes.

Not a vacuum tube.

Coolidge Tube

Modern x-ray tube.

A vacuum tube.
Aging of glass enclosure tube:

Arcing X-ray tube failure

Metal enclosure tubes

Longer life

Less likely to fail

Maintain a constant electric

potential between the
electrons of the tube current
and the enclosure.
X-ray tube window

An area of the glass or metal

enclosure, approximately 5
cm² that is thin and through
which the useful beam of x-
rays is emitted.

Allows maximum emission

of x-rays with minimum
absorption.
FILAMENT

Approximately 2 mm in
diameter and or 1 to 2 cm
long.

An x-ray tube filament emits

electrons when it is heated.

Filaments are made up of

Thoriated Tungsten.
FILAMENT

Tungsten:
*Higher Thermionic Emission
*Melting Point: 3410 deg. Celsius
*Does not vaporize easily

Thorium:
*Enhances the efficiency of
thermionic emission
*Enhances tube life.
 ANODE

Stationary Rotating

*dental *general purpose

*portable x-ray tube
ANODE

Advantages of Rotating
Anode:

Larger Target Area

Higher Tube Currents
Shorter Exposure Time
ANODE

Parts of Rotating Anode:

Stator
Rotor

SO RI
M IC
 ANODE

Materials Functions

Copper Electrical Conductor

Molybdenum Provides mechanical support for the target

Graphite Thermal dissipator

 ANODE

Target
Target

Stationary Rotating
 ANODE

Why Tungsten?

High Atomic Number

High Thermal Conductivity
High Melting Point
Ways of heat transfer
Sample Problems:

A 7-MHU spiral CT x-ray tube is

guaranteed for 50,000 scans, each scan
is limited to 5s. What is the x-ray tube
life in hours?
Radiographic Rating Chart

For a given mA, any

combination of kVp and time
that lies below the mA curve is
safe.

Any combination of kVp and

time that lies above the curve
representing the desired mA is
safe.