Novel concrete compositions for γ-rays and neutron shielding using WC and B4C

Abstract Concrete provides a superior shielding effect against γ-rays and neutron by reducing the radiation exposure to biological entities and their surroundings. A suitable amount of additives in the concrete mixture can enhance the shielding effect. With this perception, the mixing proportion of concrete has been prepared with different amounts of WC and B4C additives. The shielding effect of prepared concretes with WC and B4C additives have been investigated using experimental data (for 60Co and 252Cf sources), and theoretical prediction using codes MCNP6, XCOM, Auto-Zeff, and NXcom. Different shielding parameters such as; mass attenuation coefficient (μm), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), and effective removal cross-section (ΣR) were calculated in the present work. The obtained experimental and MCNP6 results for γ-rays (μm) and neutron (ΣR) are in decent agreement with the difference of less than 6.5% and 8%, respectively. The outcomes of the present work show that the modified compositions have more advantages as compared to the pristine concrete. These also revealed that shielding parameters strongly depend on the atomic composition and density of additives of the prepared concrete. Hence, it has been demonstrated that the addition of an appropriate amount of WC and B4C to concrete may be an alternative option that can be used in several radiation protection applications.