A comparative study of gamma-ray interaction and absorption in some building materials using Zeff-toolkit. Issue 7 (2nd July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mann, Kulwinder Singh; Heer, Manmohan Singh; Rani, Asha
• Is Part Of: Radiation effects and defects in solids. Volume 171:Issue 7/8(2016)
• Page Start: 615
• Page End: 629
• Publication Date: 2016-07-02
• Subjects: Effective atomic number -- effective electron density -- Zeff-toolkit -- radiation shielding -- building materials; Radiation chemistry -- Periodicals; Crystals -- Defects -- Periodicals; Crystal lattices -- Periodicals; 530.416
• DOI: 10.1080/10420150.2016.1227824
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1042-0150

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The gamma-ray shielding behaviour of a material can be investigated by determining its various interaction and energy-absorption parameters (such as mass attenuation coefficients, mass energy absorption coefficients, and corresponding effective atomic numbers and electron densities). Literature review indicates that the effective atomic number ( Z eff ) has been used as extensive parameters for evaluating the effects and defect in the chosen materials caused by ionising radiations (X-rays and gamma-rays). A computer program ( Z eff -toolkit) has been designed for obtaining the mean value of effective atomic number calculated by three different methods. A good agreement between the results obtained with Z eff -toolkit, Auto_ Z eff software and experimentally measured values of Z eff has been observed. Although the Z eff -toolkit is capable of computing effective atomic numbers for both photon interaction ( Z eff, PI ) and energy absorption ( Z eff, En ) using three methods in each. No similar computer program is available in the literature which simultaneously computes these parameters simultaneously. The computed parameters have been compared and correlated in the wide energy range (0.001–20 MeV) for 10 commonly used building materials. The prominent variations in these parameters with gamma-ray photon energy have been observed due to the dominance of various absorption and scattering phenomena. The mean values of two effective atomic numbers ( Z eff, PI and Z eff, En ) are equivalent at energies below 0.002 MeV and above 0.3 MeV, indicating the dominance of gamma-ray absorption (photoelectric and pair production) over scattering (Compton) at these energies. Conversely in the energy range 0.002–0.3 MeV, the Compton scattering of gamma-rays dominates the absorption. From the 10 chosen samples of building materials, 2 soils showed better shielding behaviour than did other 8 materials.