Determination of Radiation Shielding of Concrete Produced from Portland Cement with Boron Additives

Concrete is a material which is widely used for neutron shielding in such building constructions as nuclear power stations, particle accelerators and medical hospitals. Concrete is very significant for neutron shielding, because is contains some elements which help to moderate very penetrative fast neutrons. Boron increases the neutron shielding effectiveness of concretes. Boron can be added to concrete in different ways, by addition of boron to the water, used in concrete, or by addition of boron containing natural minerals. In this study, three samples of concrete were produced using B₂O₃ additives material, boron-modified active belite and Portland cement. Neutron absorption coefficients of the produced three different types of concrete samples were obtained through experiments. It is concluded that the addition of boron to concrete is an alternative option to be used for the purposes of neutron shielding.