Investigation of radiation shielding by adding Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ into the high-speed steel composites: comparative study

Abstract

In this study, Phy-X/PSD software was utilized for searching the neutron shielding and gamma-ray shielding features of the high-speed steel composites. The effects of the Al2O3 and SiO2 contents on the irradiation properties of the T15 (0.4Si, 0.4Mn, 0.5Mo, 1.5C, 4.5Cr, 4.75Co, 5.0V, 12.5W)+(0-30%) composite material were examined. The properties of the linear attenuation coefficients (LAC), half-value layer (HVL), fast neutron removal cross-sections (FNRC), mean free path (MFP), effective conductivity (Ceff ), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), exposure buildup factors (EBF), tenth-value layer (TVL), effective atomic number (Zeff ) were determined for the energy varying between 0.015 MeV and 15 MeV. The investigation revealed that the MAC and LAC values in the T15 composite material declined with the increase in the SiO2 or Al2O3 contents in the composite. On the other hand, the Geometric Progression (G-P) method was utilized to determine the EBFs under the penetration depth of up to 40 mfp and the same energy range. According to the results of the G-P method, the values of HVL varied from 0.01 to0.034 cm, TVL values varied from 0.01 to 0.112 cm, while FNRC values varied from 6.584cm-1 to 8.27 cm-1, and Ceff values varied from 1.36 x1011S/m to 3.12x1011 S/m. The results revealed that the T15 high-speed steel composite provided the maximum photon shielding capacity because it showed the lowest HVL value while showing the highest Zeff , and MAC values. The T15 + 20% Al2O3 composite material had the highest FNRC due to its higher density. The present investigation can be considered original in terms of a few aspects. Consequently, these new shielding materials can be chosen as shielding materials against gamma radiation. In addition to contributing to several popular technologies including space technologies and nanotechnology, the present study can also contribute to nuclear technology.

Characterization of Hot Extruded Hybrid Composites Al 2024 Metal Matrix Reinforced with TiO2 and ZrO2

“…The source of radiation can be investigated as natural and artificial. (Gökmen et al, 2022) Natural radiation sources are radiation that occurs without human contribution. Also, the radiation can be examined in two subtopics which are ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.…”

“…Also, the radiation can be examined in two subtopics which are ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. The alpha, beta, and neutron particles are particle-based ionizing radiations, and the X and gamma rays are electromagnetic radiations (Sürücü & Subaşı, 2021;Gökmen et al, 2022). The situation that distinguishes ionizing radiation from non-ionizing radiation is that the charge balance in the atom is disrupted as a result of ionizing radiation removing electrons from the atom or binding electrons to the atom (Sürücü & Subaşı, 2021).…”

Radiation shielding effectiveness, structural, and mechanical properties of HDPE/B4C composites reinforced with Fe2O3-Al2O3-Al-Fe fillers

“…Aluminum and/or aluminum oxide have been investigated as fillers to improve the mechanical properties and radiation shielding effectiveness for different matrix composites. The results of these studies show that these composites can attenuate radiation and be used for radiation protection in nuclear fields [2,18,[53][54][55][56].…”

Microstructural and Radioactive Shielding Analyses of Alumix-231 and Alumix-231 Reinforced with B4C/SiC/Al2O3 Particles Produced through Hot Pressing

“…Furthermore, the enhancement of the mechanical properties of composite materials relies on the interaction between the reinforcement material and the matrix as well as the even distribution of the reinforcement phase within the matrix phase. Ceramic reinforcements, including SiC, B 4 C, TiC, and Al 2 O 3 , are commonly utilized in various applications. − In addition to being used as a reinforcement element in metal matrix composite materials, ceramic materials are also used by some scientists as radiation shielding materials due to their high density and ability to absorb radiation. Aluminum oxide, also known as alumina, is often used in radiation shielding for its high density and ability to absorb γ rays .…”