An automated surface determination approach for computed tomography

Surface determination is a critical image processing step in X-ray Computed Tomography that uses algorithms based on local thresholding methods, such as Canny and Steinbess, to detect the surface of metallic components with intricate designs and complex topographies. In most of the cases, these algorithms require trial-and-error tests to optimise the threshold operation, leading to unreliable and, at times, erroneous inspection results. This paper demonstrates the ability of marker-controlled watershed algorithm to automate the surface determination process and to maintain its robustness in the presence of beam hardening and complex topographies, outperforming the current commercial and non-commercial software implementations.