Radiation shielding properties of siderurgical aggregate concrete

Abstract

The world is changing, and consequently so are policies on the use of natural resources. One of the most convenient ways to reduce the consumption of natural aggregates in the production of more sustainable construction materials is the use of recovered industrial by-products. In this study, concretes are designed using siderurgical aggregates from electric arc furnaces, taking advantage of their high density to use them as radiation shielding concrete. To verify the suitability of these aggregates, four concrete mixes were designed with different aggregates: limestone, siderurgical magnetite aggregates (the most commonly used in the nuclear field). The comparison of the different mixes was carried out focusing on the physical–mechanical properties in the field of ionizing radiation shielding (gamma radiation and neutron shielding) by means of simulations. In addition, an analysis was performed to establish how the w/c ratio and the amount of CEM affect shielding properties. In terms of linear attenuation coefficient and neutron transmission rate, the concrete with siderurgical aggregates shows intermediate capability in comparison with the limestone aggregate and magnetite concrete. The increase in the amount of cement and the w/c ratio caused a decrease in the linear attenuation coefficient and a reduction in the neutron transmission rate, but the variation in the w/c ratio did not have a significant impact on the neutron transmission rate.