ABSTRACT
The basic operational principle of a nuclear gage is that a source (such as Cesium-137) of nuclear particles (such as photons) is inserted into (for example, 6 in.) or placed on the surface of the layer whose density is to be measured. As these particles are released into the layer, a detector on the equipment on the surface of the layer detects and counts the number of particles coming back to that point. As the density increases, the number of detected particles decreases. Working on this principle, the gage is calibrated using a block of known density, and then it is used for determining the density by using the calibration factor.
