Barium-borate-flyash glasses: As radiation shielding materials

The attenuation coefficients of barium-borate-flyash glasses have been measured for gamma-ray photon energies of 356, 662, 1173 and 1332 keV using narrow beam transmission geometry. The photon beam was highly collimated. and overall scatter acceptance angle was less than 3 degrees. Our results have an uncertainty of less than 3%. These coefficients were then used to obtain the values of mean free path (mfp), effective atomic number and electron density. Good agreements have been observed between experimental and theoretical values of these parameters. From the studies of the obtained results it is reported here that from the shielding point of view the barium-borate-flyash glasses are better shields to gamma-radiations in comparison to the standard radiation shielding concretes and also to the ordinary barium-borate glasses. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.