A study on radiation interaction parameters of boron carbide/zirconium boride composites

In this study, photon interaction parameters such as radiation protection efficiency (RPE), total mass attenuation coefficient (mu/rho), linear attenuation coefficients (mu), half value layers (HVL), tenth value layers (TVL), mean free paths (MFP), effective atomic numbers (Z(Eff)) and effective electron densities (N-Eff) were experimentally investigated for the BCZrB-0, BCZrB-10, BCZrB-20, BCZrB-30, BCZrB-40 and BCZrB-50 in the energy range from 59.5 keV to 1332.5 keV. In the experiment, HPGe detector and Am-241 (59.5 keV), Ba-133 (81 keV, 276.4 keV, 302.9 keV, 356 keV and 383.9 keV), Na-22 (511 keV and 1274.5 keV), Cs-137 (661.7 keV), and Co-60 (1173.2 keV and 1332.5 keV) radioactive point sources were used. Experimental results compared with results of the WinXCOM, GEANT4 simulation code and FLUKA simulation code. Energy absorption build-up factors (EABF) and exposure build-up factors (EBF) were calculated with G-P fitting method in the energy region 0.015 MeV <= E <= 15 MeV. Kerma relative to air values were investigated in the energy region 0.001 MeV <= E <= 20 MeV. Effective removal cross section, total macroscopic cross section and number of transmitted neutron values were defined for composites. The agreement between experimental and WinXCOM program, between experimental and GEANT 4 simulation codes and between experimental and FLUKA simulation codes of gamma-ray interaction parameters are < 5.1%, < 6.5% and < 5%, respectively. All of the results are compatible with each other and BCZrB-50 is a good gamma-ray radiation absorber in the studied composites and BCZrB-0 is the best neutron absorber in the studied composites.