Nuclear Engineering and Technology xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Nuclear Engineering and Technology

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Original Article

Impacts of siltstone rocks on the ordinary concrete’s physical, mechanical

and gamma-ray shielding properties: An experimental examination
R.S. Aita a, *, K.A. Mahmoud a, b, H.A. Abdel Ghany c, E.M. Ibrahim a, M.G. El-Feky a, I.E. El Aassy a
a
Nuclear Materials Authority, El Maadi, P. O. Box 530, Cairo, Egypt
b
Ural Federal University, 19 Mira St., Yekaterinburg, 620002, Russia
c
Department of Physics, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: A series of ordinary concrete is casted in order to examine the influence of the manganiferous siltstone rocks on
Ordinary concrete the physical, mechanical, and gamma-ray shielding properties. Thus, a partial replacement for the coarse ag­
Mechanical properties gregates by siltstone rocks was performed during the fabrication of the currently ordinary concrete. The test
Gamma-ray shielding properties
revealed that raising the siltstone concentration improved the mechanical characteristics and density of the
Coarse aggregates
developed concretes. The addition of siltstone rocks at concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 wt% of the coarse
Siltstone
aggregate concentration raises the density of the concrete from 2.05 g/cm3 to 2.3 g/cm3. Furthermore, partial
substitution of basalt with siltstone rocks improves gamma-ray shielding properties. The experimental results for
the linear attenuation coefficient show an increase in its value from 0.146 cm1 to 0.160 cm− 1 when the siltstone
concentration is increased between 0 and 40 wt% at 0.662 MeV. Furthermore, increasing the concentrations of
siltstone affected the half-value thickness, which varied between 4.759 and 4.319 cm at 0.662 MeV. Therefore,
the replacement presents a new alternative coarse aggregate that can enhance the mechanical and radiation
shielding properties of ordinary concretes.

1. Introduction nuclear medicine. Concrete’s key benefit as a shielding material is the

ability to alter its chemical makeup to change its attenuation properties
The dosage received from exposure to a radiation source depends on [3–5]. Concrete is also extensively utilized for general building tasks due
the activity of the source, the time of exposure, the energy of the radi­ to the fact that its ingredients’ ease of accessibility, the ability to create
ation released, the subject’s proximity to the source, and the presence of concrete structures in a variety of shapes and sizes, its good mechanical
shielding material. By keeping doses to humans below the recommended qualities, and its comparatively inexpensive initial and ongoing main­
dose limits through good shielding using appropriate materials, all the tenance costs.
harmful effects of radiation can be reduced [1]. The biological effects of Since aggregates constitute the majority (approximately 70–80 %) of
radiation are influenced by the rate at which the dosage was absorbed as the weight of concrete, their addition usually controls the shielding
well as the total amount given to the tissue. Molecules can recover from properties of designed concretes. It also affects dimensional stability,
minor damage thanks to mechanisms found in living things. Therefore, elastic modulus, durability, workability, and cost of concrete. The size of
the attenuation quality of the shielding material is crucial because or­ aggregates can be divided into two categories: coarse aggregate (CA),
gans can recover from the deadly dose provided if the dose was delivered which is typically gravel and ranges in size from 4.75 mm to 50 mm, and
at a slow enough rate [2]. fine aggregate (FA), which is typically sand and ranges in size from less
Concrete is a composite material consisting of a mixture of cement than 4.75 mm to more than 75 μm [6–8].
paste and aggregate. The mechanical and gamma ray-attenuation Recently, different kinds of aggregates, both natural and synthetic,
properties of concrete can be altered by using different types of aggre­ are being employed to improve the quality of concrete. The attenuation
gates (fine and coarse aggregate). Concrete composite is recognized as a characteristics of concrete with the addition of both natural and syn­
superior and adaptable attenuating material, with multiple applications thetic particles have been studied by numerous authors. Many aggre­
in nuclear power plants, radioactive waste disposals, accelerators, and gates were included in the concrete such as lead [3], ilmenite [9],

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (R.S. Aita).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2024.01.014
Received 18 December 2023; Received in revised form 6 January 2024; Accepted 10 January 2024
Available online 16 January 2024
1738-5733/© 2024 Korean Nuclear Society, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Please cite this article as: R.S. Aita et al., Nuclear Engineering and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2024.01.014
R.S. Aita et al. Nuclear Engineering and Technology xxx (xxxx) xxx

magnetite [10], barite [11], hematite [12], galena [13], lime [14],
Limonite [15], and steel slags [16], to improve the concrete’s
gamma-ray shielding properties.
Many studies focused on increasing the attenuation coefficient of
concrete for neutrons with different additives such as boric compounds
[17,18], rare earth [19], and polymers [20]. Additionally, igneous rocks
including granite and basalt (formed by the cooling of magma) show
hard, tough, strong, and good gamma ray shielding properties to be used
as aggregates in the concrete formation [7,21,22].
Studying the effects of substituting siltstone for basalt natural rocks
on the mechanical, gamma-ray attenuation, and physical properties of
Fig. 1. The fabricated concretes (a) For gamma ray shielding examination and
ordinary concretes is the novelty of the current work.
(b) For physical and mechanical properties examination.

2. Materials and methods

2.2. Concretes’ characterizations
2.1. Samples preparation
2.2.1. Chemical composition of different concrete mixtures
To ascertain the chemical composition of fabricated concretes, a
In Egyptian ordinary concrete, natural basalt was utilized as a coarse
portion of each sample was taken and crushed for X-ray fluorescence
aggregate due to its low cost, widespread, and superior hardness prop­
analysis (Advanced axios, Netherlands). Table 2 displays the chemical
erties. In order to modify the ordinary concrete to be suitable for radi­
composition of major and trace elements found in the fabricated
ation shielding applications, the coarse aggregate (i.e., natural basalt
concretes.
rocks) was replaced by another natural manganiferous siltstone rock.
The selection of the manganiferous siltstone rocks is due to their hard­
2.2.2. Physical properties
ness, and chemical composition which is rich in manganese minerali­
The fabricated concretes’ density (ρ, g/cm3) represents the dry mass
zation as mentioned by Ref. [23]. The utilized siltstone rocks were
(M, g) of the fabricated concrete sample divided by its volume (V, cm3).
selected from the Um Bogma area, Southwestern Sinai, Egypt. There­
The M values for the fabricated concrete samples are determined by
fore, five pieces of ordinary concrete were fabricated as a partial
digital balance (Satorius, BL 3100, Canada) while V is calculated by
replacement for the basalt (coarse aggregate) content in the ordinary
measuring the dimensions of the samples. Then, the density of the
concrete by various ratios of siltstone cursed rocks. In all experiments,
fabricated concrete samples is determined using Eq. (1).
the fabricated concrete samples were constructed under a constant
water-to-cement ratio (W/C = 0.50). This specific number of the W/C M ( g )
ρ= (1)
ratio was selected because the control mixture contains the ideal amount V cm3
of water for the correct hydration of cement. The utilized cement in the Then, the fabricated concretes’ apparent porosity (Φ, %) was
current work is El Mohandes CEM II/B–P (42.5 N) produced under examined by soaking the concrete samples in water for 48 h and
Egyptian Standard Specifications (ES. 4756-1/2013) and European weighting it to get the saturated mass, and then drying them in an oven
Standard Specifications (EN 1–197/2011). Then, a partial substitution for 48 h at 105 ᵒC and weighting it to get the dry mass. The volume of the
for the basalt by manganiferous siltstone rocks was performed in the absorbed water (Vp, cm3) is calculated through Eq. (2).
current work, where the siltstone was added to the concrete with ratios ( )
of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt% for the fabricated concretes 0 %, 10 %, 20 Vp cm3 = [saturated mass − dry mass] × ρwater (2)
%, 30 %, and 40 %, respectively (see Table 1). The concrete fabrication
Then the Φ values can be calculated using Eq. (3).
passes through many steps starting with mixing 12 wt% of cement with
30 wt% of ordinary yellow sand (fine aggregates) under stirring for 10 Vp
Φ (%) = × 100 (3)
min then adding the required amount of tab water and keeping stirring V
for another 10 min. Then, add the required amounts of crushed basalt
and crushed siltstone and continue stirring for another 5 min. The silt­ 2.2.3. Mechanical properties evaluations
stone grain size ranges between 8 and 14 mm. The homogenous mix­ The ability of concrete to overstand pressures that are directed
tures were then molded, as shown in Fig. 1 a and b, into a cubic mold axially is known as its compressive strength (σc, kg/cm2). To put it
measuring 15 × 15 × 15 cm to study the concrete’s physical and me­ another way, it represents the amount of force that may be applied to
chanical properties, while they were molded in a cylindrical mold with a concrete before it fails or cracks. Two hardened-face steel bearing
diameter of 3 cm to be suitable for the collimator used during the platens were installed in the testing apparatus. As shown in Fig. 2, the
gamma-ray shielding measurements.

Table 2
The chemical composition of the prepared concretes.
Chemical composition (wt.%)

0% 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 %

Table 1 Na2O 0.7909 0.4928 0.6443 0.5654 0.3364

MgO 1.0817 1.0643 0.9699 0.7443 0.5726
Mixture proportions of prepared concrete.
Al2O3 8.0257 5.8252 5.9402 4.758 3.54
Cement (wt.%) Fine aggregate Coarse aggregate SiO2 35.9022 32.9247 34.6958 32.8682 29.3548
SO3 1.2957 0.9719 0.9848 1.1198 1.1172
Sand (wt.%) Basalt (wt.%) Siltstone (wt.%)
K2O 0.738 0.6538 0.7075 0.707 0.8104
0% 12 30 58 0 CaO 35.6098 31.6278 28.5446 24.4249 22.115
10 % 12 30 48 10 TiO2 1.6399 1.1517 0.8541 0.6546 0.4937
20 % 12 30 38 20 MnO 0.1962 8.5888 11.9829 19.0873 24.9798
30 % 12 30 28 30 Fe2O3 11.7529 11.9214 8.4748 8.2658 8.4541
40 % 12 30 18 40 LOI 2.967 4.7776 6.2011 6.8047 8.226

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R.S. Aita et al. Nuclear Engineering and Technology xxx (xxxx) xxx

detector [Bicron, USA]. The NBTM is based on placing the detector and
the γ-ray sources on opposite sides of the fabricated concrete materials
along the same vertical axis. The NBTM uses a lead collimator with a
narrow to collimate the scattered emission from the Cs-137 and Co-60
with gamma-ray energies of 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV, and 1.332 MeV.
The γ-ray source activities were detected before and after using the
fabricated concrete samples (Io and It). Next, employing Lambert Beers’
Law in Eq. (7), the μ values were determined by graphing the correlation
between the ln (Io/It) and the fabricated concrete’s thickness (x, cm)
[24–27].
( )
( ) 1 I
μ cm− 1 = ln o (7)
x It
The fabricated concretes’ mass attenuation coefficient (μm, cm2/g)
were evaluated using the experimental measured μ values over the
gamma-ray energy interval, according to Eq. (8) [28,29].

μ (cm− 1 )
μm = ( ) (8)
g
ρ cm3

Where ρ is the density of the material (g/cm3). The unit of μm is cm2/g.

Then, the μ values were utilized to evaluate other important pa­
rameters including half-value thickness (Δ0.5, cm), lead’s equivalent
thickness (Δeq, cm), and radiation protection efficiency (RPE, %), ac­
cording to equations 9–11 [30–32].
ln (2)
Δ0.5 (cm) = (9)
μ
( )
Io
X (cm) Ln It
lead
Δeq (cm) = ( ) (10)
ln IoIt
Concrete
Fig. .2. Photograph of the testing moment for the compressive strength for the
concrete sample. (Io − It )
RPE (%) = × 100 (11)
I0
uniaxial compression testing equipment (Soil Test CT-728, EVANSTON,
To affirm the experimentally measured γ-ray shielding properties for
ILL, USA) axially loads cubic samples with 15 side lengths between its
the fabricated concretes, the mass attenuation coefficient (μm, cm2/g)
platens. Once complete failure (i.e., breakdown of the sample’s resis­
for the fabricated concretes was calculated theoretically based on the
tance to the growing load) happens, the load applied without applying
simulated mass attenuation coefficient values (μm, cm2/g) calculated
any shock was gradually increased from zero loads. After that, the
theoretically utilizing the XCOM program with supported by the NIST
sample’s compressive strength was estimated by multiplying the highest
nuclear library database [33].
load on it by the cross-sectional area and determined by Eq. (4).
( )
P kg 3. Results and discussion
σc = 2
(4)
A cm
3.1. Physical and mechanical properties
σc, P, and A represent the compressive strength (kg/cm2), the applied
2
axial load (kg), and the concretes’ cross-sectional area (cm ).
The substitution of basalt rocks by the siltstone rocks affecting the
The flexural strength (Fr, MPa) estimates the load under which the
porosity (Φ, %) of the fabricated concretes, where the increase in the
cracking will develop in resisting the bending of concrete and it is rep­
concentration of siltstone rocks between 0 and 40 wt% reduces Φ values
resented by Eq. (5).
of fabricated concretes from 21.3 % to 15.7 %, as illustrated in Fig. 3a.
√̅̅̅̅̅̅
Fr (MPa) = 0.7 σ c (5) The reduction in the fabricated concretes’ Φ values is linked to the
reduction in the fabricated concretes’ pore volume which leads to in­
Fr and σc are the flexural strength and compressive strength, both in
crease the compacts of concrete with increasing the substitution of
units of MPa.
basalt rocks by siltstone rocks. The increase in the concrete competence
The modulus of elasticity (Ec, GPa) is known as 33 % of the maximum
affects concrete’s ρ values, where they are enhanced by 11 % between
stress. It reflects the ability of the concrete to deform elastically, it is
2.05 and 2.3 g/cm3 with increasing the substitution of basalt rocks by
expressed by Eq. (6).
siltstone rocks (Fig. 3a). Additionally, the improvements in ρ values is
√̅̅̅̅̅
Ec = 5000 σ c (6) linked to the increase in the MnO2 concentration in the fabricated
concretes with raising the siltstone rocks, where the MnO2 increases
between 0.20 wt% and 25 wt% when the siltstone concentration
2.3. Gamma-ray shielding evaluation increased between 0 and 40 wt%, respectively.
The substitution of siltstone rocks for basalt rocks enhances the
To evaluate the gamma-ray attenuating properties, the fabricated mechanical properties of the fabricated concretes where the σc values
concrete’s linear attenuation coefficient (μ, cm− 1) was measured firstly increased by 46 % from 7.06 MPa to 13.14 MPa when the siltstone
utilizing the narrow beam transmission method (NBTM) on the NaI (Tl) concentration increased between 0 and 40 wt%, respectively as

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R.S. Aita et al. Nuclear Engineering and Technology xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 4. Impacts of γ-photon energies on the linear attenuation coefficient (μ,

cm− 1) of the fabricated concretes.

photon-electron collisions followed by an increase in the number of

transmitted photons It which decreases the μ values. Above 3 MeV, the
Fig. 3. The influence of siltstone concentration on (a) physical properties effect of the γ-ray energy on the μ values is tiny due to the pair pro­
(density and porosity) and (b) mechanical properties (comprehensive strength, duction (PP) cross section which varied with Log(Eγ). Fig. 4 shows an
flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity. agreement between the experimental measured μ values and those
theoretically calculated at γ-ray energies of 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV, and
illustrated in Fig. 3b. The increase in the σc values is related to the 1.332 MeV.
compactness of concretes which increased with increasing the siltstone Based on the fabricated composites’ μ and density values, the mass
content. The insertion of the siltstone rocks reduces the voids and air attenuation coefficient (μm, cm2/g) values were calculated. The μm
pockets in the fabricated concretes, increasing in the σc values. Then values were calculated theoretically based on the NIST database using
increasing the σc values of fabricated concretes by the addition of the the XCOM program for gamma-ray energies of 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV,
siltstone rocks increases the Fr and Ec of the fabricated concretes where and 1.332 MeV, as illustrated in Table 3. The μm results depict an
the Fr values enhanced ≈27 % from 1.86 MPa to 2.54 MPa and the Ec agreement between the experimental and theoretical μm values. The
increased from 13.2 GPa to 18.13 GPa, increasing the siltstone rock comparison between the measured and calculated μm values were
concentration between 0 and 40 wt%, respectively. illustrated in Table 3 which indicates a difference within the range of
±10 %.
3.2. Radiation shielding properties Because of the opposing change of μ and Δ0.5 values, Fig. 5 shows an
increase in the Δ0.5 values accompanied with raising the γ-photon en­
The γ-ray shielding properties for the fabricated composites were ergy. For example, Δ0.5 values raised from 0.021 cm to 13.661 cm for
experimentally using the NaI (Tl) detector and theoretically using the concrete 0 %, from 0.018 cm to 13.556 cm for concrete 10 %, from
XCOM program. The impacts of the applied γ-photon energy on the 0.011 cm to 13.129 cm for concrete 20 %, from 0.011 cm to 12.125 cm
concretes’ μ were illustrated in Fig. 4, where the obtained μ values for all for concrete 30 %, and from 0.010 cm to 11.879 cm for concrete 40 %
concretes reduced with the increases in γ-photon energy. The mentioned with the enrichment in the applied photon energy between 0.015 MeV
figure depicts a decrease in the μ values from 33.33 to 0.051 cm− 1 for and 15 MeV, respectively. As the applied γ-ray energy increases, the PE
concrete 0 %, from 38.49 to 0.051 cm− 1 for concrete 10 %, from 60.52 to and CS cross-sections of interactions decrease, reducing the number of
0.053 cm− 1 for concrete 20 %, from 64.96 to 0.057 cm− 1 for concrete 30 γ-photon-electron interactions and increasing the number of transmitted
%, and from 67.41 to 0.058 cm− 1 for concrete 40 % when the applied photons (It). As a result, increasing the applied γ-photon energy
γ-photon energy increased from 0.015 MeV to 15 MeV. The reduction is increased the thickness required to attenuate 50 % of the applied
stronger in the low energy interval between 0.015 MeV and 0.1 MeV γ-photons (i.e., Δ0.5 values).
where the μ values decreased by 98.28 %, 98.63 %, 99.11 %, 99.10 %, The lead equivalent thickness (Δeq, cm) determines the thickness of
and 99.11 % for concretes 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, and 40 %, respec­ fabricated concretes that have identical shielding capabilities to 1 cm of
tively. The reduction is attributed to the effect of photoelectric (PE) pure lead. Fig. 6 shows that the Δeq reaches the highest values at the PE
interaction with a cross-section varied with E−γ 3.5 [34,35]. After that, the interaction interval where the lead’s μ values are higher than those of
PE interval ended and start a new interaction mode in which the μ values the fabricated concretes.
reduced smoothly with raising the γ-photon energy due to the Compton The computed Δeq trend with increasing incoming γ-photon energy
scattering (CS) interactions. In the CS interval which extended between showed a considerable drop in Δeq values for the fabricated concretes in
0.15 MeV and 1.408 MeV, the μ values were reduced by 78.88 %, 77.79 the region of the PE interaction between 0.015 MeV and 0.15 MeV. This
%, 77.91 %, 78.14 %, and 78.15 % for concretes 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, behavior is due to the high reduction in the fabricated concretes and
and 40 %, respectively. The reduction in the mentioned interval is lead’s μ values, where the Pb’s μ values dropped 98 % while the fabri­
attributed to the CS cross-section which varied with E−γ 1 [36,37]. For cated concretes’ μ values dropped by approximately 98%–99 % with
both PE a CS interaction intervals, increasing the applied photon energy raising the γ-photon energy from 0.015 MeV to 0.15 MeV.
decreases the interaction cross-section which decreases the number of The Δeq values at the end of the PE interaction interval maximized

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R.S. Aita et al. Nuclear Engineering and Technology xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 3
Comparison between the experimental and theoretical mass attenuation coefficient for the fabricated concretes at experimental energies.
Mass attenuation coefficient (μm, cm2/g)

0.662 MeV 1.173 MeV 1.332 MeV

XCOM EXP Diff (%) XCOM EXP Diff (%) XCOM EXP Diff (%)

0% 0.0764 0.0711 7.5269 0.0578 0.0535 8.1081 0.0542 0.0501 8.1081

10 % 0.0764 0.0718 6.3830 0.0579 0.0538 7.5269 0.0542 0.0496 9.2896
20 % 0.0722 0.0681 6.0445 0.0547 0.0515 6.2699 0.0513 0.0474 8.1081
30 % 0.0755 0.0695 8.6957 0.0572 0.0524 9.0513 0.0536 0.0494 8.4599
40 % 0.0754 0.0698 7.9914 0.0571 0.0519 9.8901 0.0535 0.0497 7.5269

concretes drop steadily between 20.11 cm and 6.39 cm for concrete 0 %,

from 19.81 cm to 6.24 cm for concrete 10 %, from 19.96 cm to 6.27 cm
for concrete 20 %, from 18.63 cm to 5.86 cm for concrete 30 %, and from
18.26 cm to 5.74 cm for concrete 40 %, when the gamma-ray energy
increased between 1.5 and 3 MeV, respectively. The smooth reduction is
attributed to the smooth reduction of μ values for both Pb and fabricated
concretes where the Pb’s μ values were reduced by 89 % and the
fabricated concretes’ μ values were reduced by 60.81 %, 60.97 %, 61.44
%, 61.48 %, and 61.51 % for concretes 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, and 40 %.
Then, higher than 3 MeV, the Δeq values began to increase slightly with
increasing the γ-photon energy. The increase in Δeq values is attributed
to the increase in Pb’s μ values which increases by 32.4 % with
increasing the photon energy between 5 MeV and 15 MeV. On the other
hand, the fabricated concretes’ μ values were reduced by 17.09 %,
18.08 %, 15.75 %, 15.13 %, and 14.98 %, increasing the γ-photon en­
ergy in the same energy interval.
The chemical composition (siltstone concentration) and density of
fabricated concrete have a significant impact on their radiation shield­
ing capabilities. Fig. 7a shows the influence of the substitution of the
basalt rocks by siltstone rocks on the measured μ values for the fabri­
cated concretes where the measured μ values increase by 102 % from
Fig. 5. Impacts of γ-photon energies on the half-value thickness (Δ0.5, cm) of 33.33 cm− 1 to 67.41 cm− 1 at 0.015 MeV and enhanced by 11 % at both
the fabricated concretes. 0.662 MeV and 1.332 MeV, respectively when the siltstone concentra­
tion increased from 0 wt% to 40 wt%. The μ values enhancement is
attributed to the increase in electron density and cross-section of in­
teractions of the fabricated concretes with raising the siltstone concen­
tration. The increase in the siltstone concentration increases the MnO2
concentration in the fabricated concretes which increases the electron
density within the fabricated concretes and causes a significant increase
in the effective atomic number (Zeff) of the fabricated composites. Since
the interactions cross-section of the fabricated composites proportional
to Z4− 5
eff and Zeff for PE and CS interactions [38]. Then, the interaction
cross section is high in the PE interval compared to the CS interval which
increases the probability of photon-electron interactions inside the
composites followed by a high increase in the μ values in the PE interval
(i.e., 0.015 MeV) and a smooth increase in the μ values in the CS interval.
The μ values enhancement due to the substitution of basalt rocks by
siltstone rocks affects the Δ0.5 values where the Δ0.5 values decreased
from 0.021 cm to 0.010 cm (at 0.015 MeV), from 4.43 cm to 4.00 cm (at
0.662 MeV), and from 6.24 cm to 5.64 cm (at 1.332 MeV) when the
siltstone concentration raised from 0 wt% to 40 wt% respectively
(Fig. 7b). The increase in PE and CS cross-sections brought on by the
substitution of siltstone rocks for basalt rocks is the main reason for
decreasing in the Δ0.5 values. As a result, there were more γ-photon-
Fig. 6. Variation of the lead equivalent thickness (Δeq, cm) versus the applied electron interactions and more attenuated photons overall. Therefore,
γ-photon energy. the μ values increased while the Δ0.5 values decreased, and the It pho­
tons were lowered as a result. Fig. 7c also shows a reduction in the Δeq
and touch 109.5 cm, 118.7 cm, 116.7 cm, 106.6 cm, and 104.3 cm for values for the fabricated concretes with raising the siltstone concentra­
concretes 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, and 40 %, respectively, at γ-ray energy tions, where the Δeq values reduced from 37.80 cm to 18.70 cm at 0.015
between 0.08 MeV and 0.1 MeV. These considerable high increases in MeV, reduced from 7.94 cm to 7.17 cm at 0.662 MeV and reduced from
Δeq values are associated with the Pb’s K-absorption edges, where the 5.71 cm to 5.16 cm at 1.332 MeV. The reduction in the Δeq values is
Pb’s μ values are significantly greater than those of the investigated attributed to the increase in the fabricated concretes’ μ values compared
concretes at the same energy interval. to Pb’s μ values with raising the siltstone concentration.
In the middle energy interval zone, the Δeq values for the fabricated

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R.S. Aita et al. Nuclear Engineering and Technology xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 7. Impacts of the siltstone concentration on (a) Linear attenuation coefficient (μ, cm− 1), (b) Half value thickness (Δ0.5, cm), and (c) Lead’s equivalent thickness
(Δeq, cm).

Additionally, the reduction in μ values increases the transmitted The concretes’ thickness highly affected the RPE values of the
photons (It) and reduces the absorbed photons (Io-It) within the fabri­ fabricated concretes, as presented in Fig. 8b. Increasing the fabricated
cated concretes. Since the RPE values represent the number of absorbed concretes thickness between 1 and 10 cm enhances the RPE values for
photons within the fabricated concrete to the total number of applied the fabricated concretes (at 0.662 MeV) from 14.50 % to 79.12 % (for
photons (Eq. (9)), the RPE reduced with increasing the applied γ-photon concrete 0 %), from 14.82 % to 79.89 % (for concrete 10 %), from 14.69
energy, as illustrated in Fig. 8a. The reduction is mainly attributed to the % to 79.58 % (for concrete 20 %), from 15.62 % to 81.71 % (for concrete
high penetration power of high energetic γ-ray photons, where 30 %) and from 15.91 % to 82.33 % (for concrete 40 %). The path length
increasing the γ-ray photons increases the penetration power of the of applied photons within the fabricated concretes increases with
applied photons. As a result of high penetration power, the photons increasing the fabricated concrete thickness which causes an increase in
transport within the fabricated concretes with a small number of the number of photon-electron interactions and leads to an increase in
γ-photon-electron collisions. Therefore, the It increase is accompanied the absorbed photon number (Io-It) compared to the Io. Thus, the RPE
by a decrease in the (Io-It) and the RPE values. For instance, the RPE increased with increasing the composite thickness, as illustrated in
values reduced from 100 % to 22.41 % for concrete 0 %, from 100 % to Fig. 8b.
22.54 % for concrete 10 %, from 100.00 % to 23.20 % for concrete 20 %, In order to validate the shielding properties of the fabricated con­
from 100.00 % to 24.81 % for concrete 30 %, and from 100.00 % to cretes in the current study, the linear attenuation coefficient for the
25.30 % for concrete 40 % associated with increasing the γ-photon en­ fabricated concretes was compared to those of some previously fabri­
ergy between 0.015 MeV and 15 MeV. cated and published works [39–41]. The comparison in Fig. 9 depicts

Fig. 8. Dependence of the radiation protection efficiency on (a) γ-photon energy and (b) concrete thickness.

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R.S. Aita et al. Nuclear Engineering and Technology xxx (xxxx) xxx

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial

interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.

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