Radiation Measurement Applications Laboratory

The Radiation Measurement Applications Laboratory (RMAL) provides facilities to perform research and to conduct teaching experiments concerning the application of radiation to the measurement of physical properties of matter. Faculty and students are able to perform research and conduct experiments in:

Nondestructive evaluation;
Quantitative analysis by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence;
Applications of scintillating fibers;
Radioisotope gauging; and
Radioactive and intert tracing.

The laboratory has access to a dark room within which the scintillating fiber experiments can be conducted with minimal background from visible and ultra-violet sources.

Location

009 Ward Hall

Current research interests

Remote detection of improvised explosive devices
Characterization of semiconductor neutron detectors for dosimetry and imaging
Detection and characterization of hidden cracks in metal sub-structures
Energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis
Nondestructive testing with plastic scintillating fibers

Equipment

Mechanically-cooled High Purity Germanium detector
Lithium-drifted silicon (Si-Li) detector for x-ray fluorescence analysis\
Multiple nai(Tl) scintillation detectors
Plastic scintillating fibers
Tektronix TDS 420 digitizing oscilloscope
NIM bin and bin-mounted electronics modules
Canberra Inspector 2000 DSP Portable multichannel analyzer (MCA) including Genie 2000 Software
Two high-precision stepping motors (one capable of 0.04 mm resolution and one having a 7-foot travel)
Pcs for experiment control, data collection, data analysis, simulation
16-channel data acquisition board
4096-channel MCA board|
Multiscaler board
Portable survey meter
Semi-dark room equipped with benches for conducting experiments with scintillating Fibersnumerous
X-Ray tube and radioisotope sources
Brookfield RVT rheometer for measuring viscosity of fluids
Small optical plate with rods, clamps, lenses, mirrors, etc.
Digital caliper and multimeters