Abstract: The invention relates to a method of measuring the tritium activity of a drum (1) of radioactive waste containing a quantity of radioactive waste (2) and a free volume, the method consisting of measuring the quantity of 3He produced by the decay of the tritium contained in said radioactive waste during a defined period of time and deducing from it the corresponding activity of the tritium contained in said radioactive waste (2).

Abstract: A process for the in-line inspection of the depth of a weld carried out by a welding beam pulse in which around its impact point on a workpiece, the beam pulse produces a welding plasma wherein, only during the emission of a welding beam pulse, at least one selected monochromatic emission line of the welding plasma is optically collected from the workpiece. The energy of said lines is converted into analog electrical signals and those signals are digitally processed with the resulting signals being compared with reference signals to produce an indication of the weld depth. Apparatus for performing this process is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method and to an apparatus for the non-destructive testing of spot welds and the determination of the diameter of a spot weld. The testing method comprises subjecting the welds (2) to a mechanical test using a pneumatic hammer and during the test the so-called "stuck" welds are destroyed. The remaining welds then undergo a punctiform inspection using a rheometric method. This method consists of creating a potential difference between the supply electrodes (10), of which there are even numbers in contact with the weld (2). Measuring electrodes (8) located in the vicinity of the supply electrodes make it possible to obtain a resulting quantity of the different voltages measured. After calibrating the resulting value of the voltages makes it possible to deduce therefrom the diameter of the weld and consequently its efficiency.Application to the determination of the diameter of a spot weld.