Characterization of Red-Clay and Glass Composite for Gamma Ray Shielding
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Date
2025-04
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Ionizing radiation has useful applications in various sectors of the economy including
health care, industry, safety, security, and agriculture. However, exposure to ionizing
radiation has harmful effects on humans. The harmful effects of ionizing radiation are
classified as stochastic or deterministic. These effects can be manifested during the lifetime
of the exposed individual(s) and/or passed on to future generations. Human beings are
exposed to ionizing radiation mainly through their occupation, medical diagnosis, and
therapy procedures or generally in the environment. The environments with ionizing
radiation require sufficient shielding to safeguard people from exposure to the harmful
effects of the radiation. Concrete is a commonly used type of material for ionizing radiation
shielding. The components of this material are cement, sand, coarse aggregates/gravel, and
water. The composition of the material influences its mechanical strength as well as its
effectiveness as a shield against ionizing radiation. When these materials are exposed to
thermal cycles, they may develop cracks that may affect their performance as a shield for
ionizing radiation. The effectiveness of red clay and glass composite brick material as a
shield for ionizing radiation has not been widely researched. Red-clay bricks have a longer
projected life than concrete blocks. The latter has a higher compressive strength overall.
The shielding properties of a material are investigated through the half-value layer (HVL).
In this study composite bricks made of red clay and glass were hand molded and analyzed
for their mechanical strength and effectiveness for gamma ray shielding. Waste glass
bottles were used to promote environmentally friendly practice in radiation shielding
through recycling of waste glass. Gamma-ray spectrometry using a cesium-137 radioactive
source was used to study the total mass absorption coefficient and the linear gamma ray
attenuation coefficient of the composite brick. The measurements were used to determine
the HVL. Monte-Carlo simulation was carried out using the GEANT4 toolkit and web based NIST-XCOM photon attenuation database. The findings indicate that the measured
HVL for the composite bricks depends on the composition of the materials used in the
fabrication of the bricks. The HVL value increased linearly with the increase in glass
content was observed. The measured values of the HVL ranged from (6.13 ± 0.10) cm for
the CNT sample that had 0% waste glass to (4.62 ± 0.12) cm for the RCG11 sample that
had 50% waste glass. The corresponding simulated values ranged from (6.05 ± 0.01) cm
to (4.79 ± 0.01 cm and from (6.09 ± 0.09) cm to (4.81 ± 0.01) for the GEANT4 and NIST XCOM tool kits respectively. The measured and simulated values of the HVL agree well.
The findings of this study promote radiation safety by providing an alternative shielding
material that is cost-effective and environmentally friendly
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science (Physics) in the School of Pure and Applied Sciences of Kenyatta University April, 2025
Supervisor
1.Nadir. O. Hashim
2. Nicholas Musila