X-ray tomography of large objects with limited measurement angle

Abstract

In this paper we present an efficient implementation of an algorithm for reconstructing a 3D volume from limited angle projection data, based on statistical inversion theory. We demonstrate the strength of the method for detecting structural defects in large composite aerospace components, whose dimensions prevent acquiring measurements over the full circle. In comparison with a number of other tomographic reconstruction methods that can be applied to the limited angle case, such as tomosynthesis or simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART), we achieve superior depth resolution with reduced noise and artifacts.