Radiation Uses: Thickness Gauges

The thickness of thin materials, such as paper and

plastics, can be measured by detecting the amount
of Beta radiation that is transmitted through the
web or sheets of the material.

Transmission gauging
source

The thicker or denser the material, the less radiation

reaches the detector.
web

detector

Typical sources:
3.7 GBq Pm-147
11.1 GBq Kr-85

Being able to make measurements on a production

line is important in keeping the product within
technical specifications and in the costs of
production.
For thicker materials such as in a steel strip rolling
mill, a gamma radiation source would be used.

The photograph shows a thickness gauge on a

paper production line. The gauge automatically
moves across the width of the paper web to ensure
it is of uniform thickness.
Note the Perspex sheet:. Beta radiation cannot
penetrate it, thus shielding the worker from any
scattered beta radiation. It also stops the worker
putting his hands into dangerous areas.
The Perspex sheet can be moved to gain access,
but this activates an interlock which would cause
the source shutter to close, making the gauge safe.

Beta backscatter gauge

Typical sources:
200 MBq Pm-147, Tl-204
GM counter

Source
Metal coating
Substrate

A Beta-backscatter gauge utilises the physics of

the scattering of beta particles. The detector is on
the same side of the web as the source, but
shielded from it, and detects the scattered beta
radiation.
These gauges are used to measure the thickness
of thin metal coating films attached to a substrate
material, like plastic.
The metal coating is much denser than the
substrate and is responsible for most of the beta
radiation that is scattered back to the detector. The
gauge can be calibrated to measure coating
thicknesses.