3D reconstruction method applied to sediment layers in computed tomography geometry

Abstract

Obtaining information on sediment deposition is a difficult task due to the fragility of the analyzed medium. The use of non-destructive tests to produce reliable data in these environments is being evaluated by some researchers. The current study proposes the computed tomography (CT) irradiation geometry evaluation, for obtaining images of the sediment deposition layers. As a first stage, planar images of geometric objects in centered geometry, similar to those resulting from the CT processes, were simulated using the dedicated X-Ray Monte Carlo (XRMC) code. Then, the x-rays were processed using the Feldkamp, David and Kress (FDK) reconstruction algorithm to generate the three-dimensional volume. Evaluating the FDK method for the reconstruction of the 8 to 64 color bits images, the obtained results were satisfactory for 64 bits grayscale images. The method showed accuracy in the contrast objects measurements, presenting a maximum deviation of 8%. This article discusses the constructed image artifacts and also, the advantages and disadvantages of the reconstruction method. The results show the feasibility of applying the methodology to produce detailed images of sediment samples collected in lakes, rivers or deposition simulation tanks.