American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Radiographic Testing Practice Test

In radiographic testing, when a section exhibits significant thickness variation, increased kilovoltage is essential to ensure adequate penetration and to capture the full range of thicknesses in a single radiograph. Higher kilovoltage enhances the ability of the X-rays to penetrate thicker materials, allowing for clearer and more consistent imaging of areas with varying material densities.

By employing increased kilovoltage, the radiographic image can maintain contrast and detail across different thicknesses, enabling the inspector to identify defects or irregularities more effectively. This approach minimizes the potential for underexposure in thicker areas while ensuring that thinner sections remain clear enough to evaluate.

Other options would not effectively address the challenge posed by thickness variation in a single radiograph as compared to increasing kilovoltage. Using multiple radiographs could lead to discrepancies in analysis and increase labor and time, while higher film sensitivity or decreased exposure time does not directly solve the issue of varying thicknesses as effectively as adjusting the kilovoltage does.