Natural fibre high-density polyethylene and lead oxide composites for radiation shielding

Abstract

Study has been made of the radiation shielding provided by recycled agricultural fibre and industrial plastic wastes produced as composite materials. Fast neutron and gamma-ray spectra behind composites of fibre–plastic ( ρ = 1.373 g cm −3) and fibre–plastic–lead ( ρ = 2.756 g cm −3) have been measured using a collimated reactor beam and neutron–gamma spectrometer with a stilbene scintillator. The pulse shape discriminating technique based on the zero-cross-over method was used to discriminate between neutron and gamma-ray pulses. Slow neutron fluxes have been measured using a collimated reactor beam and BF 3 counter, leading to determination of the macroscopic cross-section ( Σ). The removal cross-sections ( Σ R) of fast neutrons have been determined from measured results and elemental composition of the composites. For gamma-rays, total linear attenuation coefficients ( μ) and total mass attenuation coefficients ( μ/ ρ) have been determined from use of the XCOM code and measured results. Reasonable agreement was found between measured and calculated results.