Simultaneous neutron transmission and diffraction imaging investigations of single crystal nickel-based superalloy turbine blades

• Neutron radiography is used to inspect turbine blades for cracks and channel clotting.
• For single crystal turbine blades, diffracted neutrons also form projections.
• We expand the neutron radiography method to image these neutrons in parallel.
• The examination of crystal properties becomes possible, e.g. dendritic growth direction.

The integrity of turbine blades is at the heart of every operating aerospace engine or land-based gas turbine. In the most demanding environments, they are cast as single crystals. Whereas traditional neutron imaging is an excellent tool for the non-destructive testing in search of cracks or residual core material, it is insensitive to variations in crystallographic properties. In this work we show that by simultaneous imaging of the diffracted neutrons, one can also probe variations in crystal orientation. In a matter of seconds, different dendritic growth in two industrial turbine blades could be ascertained.

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