Neutron computerized tomography in compacted soil

This work applies the computerized tomography technique using thermal neutron beams for inspection of compacted soil specimens. Several specimens were analysed whose bulk densities vary from 1.61 up to 1.93 g·cm−3 and the water content from 7.8 up to 14.8%. The images reconstructed with thermal neutrons are compared with the reconstruction obtained with gamma rays of 316 keV, to demonstrate the sensitivity of the neutron technique. By analysing the reconstructed images it is possible to detect the different water content levels and to identify the soil composition. The macroscopic total cross-section values and the compactation curves obtained using the tomographic images agree with the expected data.