The effect of anode curvature on radiographic heel effect

Previous computer modeling of radiographic heel effect has shown that a simple model can give an accurate representation of heel effect for flat anode surfaces. This paper details the extension of this model to allow curved anode surfaces. A fixed-anode x-ray tube with a demountable anode was constructed and used to test the predictions of the computational model at 25 kVp using stainless-steel anodes. The computer model was also used to estimate the magnitude of the heel effect for a tungsten anode at 60 kVp. This work allows determination of the effect of anode curvature, which is an inherent feature of certain recently proposed tube designs for scanning slit radiography.