Development of special radiation shielding concretes using natural local materials and evaluation of their shielding characteristics

Two types of typical concretes widely used in Syria (in Damascus and Aleppo) and four other types of concretes, using aggregates from different regions, have been prepared. The shielding properties of these six types were studied for gamma ray (from Cs- 137 and Co-60 sources) and for neutrons (from Am-Be source). A reduction of about 10% in the HVL was obtained for the concrete from Damascus in comparison with that from Aleppo, for both neutrons and gammas. One of the other four types of concretes (from Rajo site, mostly hematite) was found to further reduce the HVL by about 10% for both neutrons and gamma rays. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.