Method and apparatus for monitoring wear, corrosion, and related problems

摘要

A method of monitoring removal of material from an object comprises providing a solid object comprising a radioactive tracer in a predetermined pattern, providing an ambient medium with which the solid object is in contact, monitoring the ambient medium for a change in level of the radioactive tracer corresponding to removal of material from the solid object, and determining the condition of the solid object based on the change in level of the radioactive tracer in the ambient medium. The radioactive tracer may be concentrated in an outer or inner layer of the solid object and preferably comprises a characteristic signature combination of multiple radioisotopes. A second aspect of the invention is a solid component of a system comprising a radioactive tracer having a characteristic signature, the tracer comprising a multiphoton emitter, and being located in a predetermined pattern such that removal of material from the solid object results in a change in level of the radioactive tracer in the ambient medium. The component can be used in a system with a detector, an analyzer that compares the level of radioactive tracer to an expected level, and an indicator that issues a warning when the removal of material from the object is at a critical level, and identifies the object. In another aspect of the invention, a method for labeling an object comprises applying a radioactive tracer to the object in a predetermined pattern, such as combining the radioactive tracer with a coating medium and applying the coating medium to the object.