Space hardware, such as launch vehicle and satellite components, require utmost precision and reliability to ensure mission success. While X-ray radiographic testing (RT) and computed tomography (CT) are crucial tools for non-destructive inspection of these hardware, traditional acquisition methods are only sensitive to absorption variations within the sample and often incapable of distinguishing thin and/or lowly attenuating features-of-interest. Alternatively, emerging X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) techniques are increasingly leveraging refractive properties within the sample, thereby enhancing the image contrast between materials with small and/or similar absorption properties and leading to improved edge detection.

A wide variety of XPCI techniques have been extensively investigated for medical imaging, but its use in industrial applications lags the leading edge. In this presentation, we will assess the utility of XPCI with particular interest in supporting aerospace failure investigation. Our investigation initially considers propagation-based XPCI (PB-XPCI) which requires no additional hardware to the conventional imaging set-up and simply relies on sufficiently small X-ray source focal spot sizes and propagation distances. Our goal is to optimize the PB-XPCI acquisition parameters within a commercial X-ray CT cabinet over a range of material compositions and thicknesses. These results will provide insight to the current capability of XPCI for aerospace non-destructive inspection and lay the groundwork for future exploration in industrial imaging applications

In a high-energy electron linear accelerator (LINAC) environment, photo-nuclear reactions generate photo-neutrons owing to high-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays, which can be used as an integrated X-ray and neutron generator system. Non-destructive testing using X-ray and neutron images provides distinct information about material components, enabling material analysis. However, the MCNP simulation results of the 15 MeV electron LINAC system used in this study showed that the average energy of the neutron was 1.47 MeV, while the average energy of the X-ray was 3.66 MeV. To measure neutrons with an energy of 1 MeV or higher, a fast neutron measurement system based on recoiled protons was used, but this system is greatly influenced by X-rays and gamma rays. Two methods of distinguishing radiation signals, pulse shape discrimination and the flight-time difference between neutrons and X-rays, were applied to this research. However, it was not possible to measure photo-neutrons due to the occurrence of X-rays at a rate 4,000 times higher than that of neutrons, which caused overlapping signals and saturation of the detection system. To measure photo-neutrons, target optimization to increase the neutron generation rate and further research on conditions where the detection system is not saturated is necessary.

Nondestructive evaluation of internal features, particularly process-induced porosity and defects, is paramount for ensuring the reliability and qualification of additively manufactured (AM) components. However, limitations regarding the resolution and accuracy of non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, such as X-ray Computed Tomography (CT), remain a key challenge in the AM community. 
This is a review of a comprehensive approach to address this challenge through the correlative analysis of distinct 3D measurement modalities: X-ray CT and Mechanical Polishing Serial Sectioning (MPSS).
The foundation of this analysis is a robust and repeatable methodology for data registration, which precisely maps the 3D reconstructed volumes from multiple X-ray CT instruments with the high-resolution 2D image stacks generated by optical microscopy and serial sectioning on titanium additively manufactured samples. This correlation is accomplished after registration to accurately localize the same defects across datasets.
By leveraging these precisely registered datasets, a quantitative comparative analysis is performed to directly assess the detection limits and measurement accuracy of the compared modalities, particularly for smaller, process-induced porosity. The results provide critical insight into the inherent limitations of standard X-ray CT for sub-micron defect characterization and offer a verifiable roadmap for validating NDT methods. This combined research is essential for establishing standardized protocols and improving confidence in the quality assurance of complex AM components.