Notebook 11

Notebook # 11
X-RAY TUBE
1. Protective Lead Housing- prevents x-rays from escaping in unwanted areas. The housing controls
leakage and scatter radiation, isolates the high voltages, and provides a means to cool the tube.
2. Cathode- negative side of the tube that produces a thermionic cloud, conducts high voltage to the gap
between cathode and anode, and focus the electron stream as it heads towards the anode
Filament circuit- supplies the filament with of the x-ray tube with properly modified power
3. Filament (Focusing Cathode) -the small coil of thin thoriated tungsten wire is the heat source necessary
for the release of electrons from surface of cathode by thermionic emission, and does not easily
vaporize. Thorium increases the tube life and improves thermionic emission.
= Electron Beam
4. Tungsten Anode is on the positive side of the tube and is a target surface for high-voltage electrons
from the filament, it conducts high voltage from the cathode back into the x-ray generator circuitry,
and serves as the primary thermal conductor.
5. Rotor- rotating portion of the tube. The rotor is a part of a motor that is made to rotate at high speeds.
In an x-ray tube, the rotor rotates at 3,600 rpm for standard techniques, and 10,000 rpm. If there was
no rotation then the anode face would most likely be damaged because of too high of heat.
6. Stator (motor windings)- induction-motor electromagnets compromise the stator that turns the anode
and is located outside the vacuum of the envelope. Electromagnetic effect that causes the rotor to turn
can function through the envelope permitting electrical isolation of the stator coils from high voltage
of the exposure. The switch rotor thats activated before exposures, sends current to the stator that
then causes the rotor to turn the anode.
7. Bearings- are found in rotating anodes and if they are damaged, the anode will spin at lower rates and
may eventually stop. It can also cause failure to the anode target. Do not depress pre-exposure button
any longer than needed and release pre exposing button immediately after the exposure.
8. Glass envelope- protects the tube and is used to help protect from excessive exposure to x-rays. The
envelope is the first part of the filtration system. It prolongs tube life because they eliminate the
tungsten vaporization. It is constructed around both the anode and cathode and must be sealed tightly
to maintain a high vacuum which removes the air and permits electrons to flow from cathode to anode
without encountering the gas atoms of air.
9. X-ray beam- filters out useless short rays, permits the use of lower kV during exposure, reduces
exposure time, and permits the use of the angle technique.
10. Molybdenum neck and base- is the element the anode is made of
11. Target area- known as the focus, focal point, focal spot, or focal track. It is the portion of the anode
where the high-voltage electron stream will impact and hit the anode. This is where x-ray photons are
created and where IR or tube-to-object distances are measured. Rotating anode 012has higher heating
capacities than regular speed anodes.
-actual focal spot is the physical area of focal track that is impacted
-effective focal spot is the area of focal spot that is projected out of the tube toward the object being
radiographed.
The cathodes job is to expel electrons from the electrical circuit and focus them into a defined beam
that is aimed at the anode. It has a small coil wire called a filament that has a cup shape that keeps the
electrons packed together. All of the excited electrons in the filament cause it to become heated and
creates a thermionic cloud. Thermionic emission is used to expel the electrons from the cathode and
they do as soon as the exposure turns on the electrons shoot across and hit the anode target.
The anode is where x-ray radiation is produced and is at the positive side of the electrical circuit. The
anode is made of tungsten material and has 2 primary functions; one is to convert electric energy into
x-ray radiation and the second is to dissipate the heat created in the process. The focal spot is on the
surface of the anode and is determined by the dimensions of the beam coming from the cathode. The
focal spot has sizes known as small focal spots which produce less blur and better visibility of detail and
a large focal spot that has greater heat-dissipating capacity.

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Notebook # 11

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