Neutron-Induced X-Ray Fluorescence (NIXRF)
Definition
A synchrotron-based method using neutrons to probe deep obliterations; can detect digit geometry buried several millimetres beneath a machined surface, entirely non-destructively.
Related terms
- ASTM E2885-13
- ASTM International standard practice for restoration of obliterated vehicle identification numbers; the reference protocol for VIN casework in US and internationally aligned...
- Backscattered Electron (BSE) Imaging
- An SEM imaging mode sensitive to atomic number and crystallographic texture; can reveal grain-boundary elongation patterns in the sub-surface cold-worked zone after...
- Cold-Working Stress Field
- Residual plastic deformation and elevated dislocation density in a metal lattice created by stamping; persists below the visible surface even after surface...
- Davis Reagent
- Variant etchant for steel using cupric ammonium chloride (Cu(NH4)2Cl4) in dilute HCl. Slower acting than Fry's, sometimes preferred when contrast on Fry's...
- Electrolytic Etching
- Electrochemical alternative to chemical etchants. The part is the anode in an electrolyte bath; controlled current selectively dissolves the strained metal at...
- Fry's Reagent
- Classical etchant for plain carbon and low-alloy steel: 40 g cupric chloride (CuCl2) + 90 mL concentrated HCl + 100 mL water....
- INTERPOL iARMS
- INTERPOL's Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System. Multilateral database enabling law enforcement in INTERPOL member countries to trace recovered or seized...
- Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI)
- A non-destructive testing method that reveals magnetic-domain contrast between cold-worked and unstressed zones in ferromagnetic metals using a ferrofluid under UV illumination;...
- Profilometry
- White-light interferometry or confocal laser scanning to detect nanometre-scale height differences on a metal surface; can reveal topographic ghost images of obliterated...
- Turner's Reagent
- A ferric chloride solution used to etch copper, brass, and cuprous alloy substrates; the high-potential Fe3+ ion preferentially oxidises the cold-worked zone.
- Ultrasonic Cavitation
- High-frequency pressure waves that collapse cavitation bubbles preferentially at high-energy surface zones; an alternative physical restoration method for stainless-steel and titanium substrates.
Explained in
- Restoration of Erased Serial NumbersA synchrotron-based method using neutrons to probe deep obliterations; can detect digit geometry buried several millimetres beneath a machined surface, entirel...