Publication Details
Abstract
Radiation shielding is critical in nuclear applications to protect human health and sensitive equipment from harmful ionizing radiation. The effectiveness of shielding materials depends on their chemical composition and interaction with gamma rays and fast neutrons. While various materials have been studied for radiation shielding, the selection and optimization of new alloys and concrete mixtures require precise computational and experimental analyses. Existing studies lack a comprehensive comparison of ternary metallic alloys and barite/goethite-based concrete mixtures for shielding both gamma rays and fast neutrons. The effectiveness of these materials under different radiation exposure conditions needs further investigation. This study aims to evaluate the shielding efficiency of selected ternary metallic alloys (Pb-Sb-Sn and Pb-Cu-Te) and barite/goethite-based concrete mixtures against gamma rays and fast neutrons using computational methods. The findings indicate that Pb₀.₇₅-Sb₀.₁₅-Sn₀.₁₀ exhibits the highest attenuation for gamma rays, while barite-based concrete mixtures provide superior neutron shielding compared to dolomite-based mixtures. The study calculates key shielding parameters, including mass attenuation coefficients, mean free path, and half-value layer. Unlike conventional shielding materials, the study integrates computational tools such as XCOM and SAZ to provide a more precise evaluation of shielding performance, offering insights into material selection and design. These results contribute to the development of optimized shielding materials for nuclear applications, improving safety measures in industrial, medical, and research settings by enhancing material performance for radiation protection.