radio isotopes
Radioisotopes By Dustin Willitts Part 1 Industry The radioisotope I thought was important in industry use is Cobalt-60. Cobalt-60 has a half life of 5.27 years. It is a hard grey metal which is slightly brittle. This radioisotope is produced commercially in linear accelerators. This is where a charged particle passes from one cylinder into another one and the voltage of these cylinders changes pushes the particles out, making it accelrate faster. 60Co is a radioactive form of the metal cobalt which has 27 protons, 33 neutrons, and 27 electrons in each atom. This metal is made into a radioactive element by shooting a speeding particle at it, this makes the metal have an unstable nucleus. After this process the cobalt atom will have 28 protons and 32 neutrons. This isotope is used in radiography and gauging. In gamma radiography, a small amount of radioactive material is postioned on one side of an object being screened and on the other side is placed a piece of photographic film. Then gamma rays are ¡§shot¡¨ through the object, and this creates a picture on the photographic film. With this one is able to identify any faults in metal casting. There will be more radiation that passes through if there are any cracks or flaws in the metal parts and it will be recorded on the film. An example of a use of radiography is in aeroplanes where they radiograph the jet engine turbine blades to ensure that internal cooling passages are built properly.