Gamma-ray shielding analysis on natural rubber composites fortified with barium tungstate (BaWO4)

Emission of radiation is a significant phenomenon having impacts on various fields, and its harmful effects must be minimized. To achieve this, radiation protection and dosimetry have been developed to ensure safe radiation limits. In this experimental study, we investigated the gamma-ray shielding properties of a composite material made from natural rubber with six different proportions of Barium Tungstate (ranging from 0 to 100 phr). The study revealed that the addition of Barium Tungstate (BaWO4) to natural rubber significantly improved the characteristics of gamma radiation shielding. The composite containing maximum proportion of BaWO4 (NRBW-100) exhibited the highest linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) value, measuring 0.307 cm-1 at an energy of 662 keV. At the same energy value, the LAC values were found to vary from 0.137 to 0.307 cm-1 across samples having different concentrations of BaWO4 (0 to 100 phr). To further assess the shielding properties, simulations were conducted using the Phy-X/PSD code, and the characteristic parameters such as mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), mean free path (MFP), half-value length (HVL), tenth-value length (TVL), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), effective conductivity (Ceff), and fast neutron removal cross-section (FNRCS) were theoretically evaluated. FNRC values range from 0.068 cm-1 to 0.108 cm-1 across concentrations of BaWO4 from 0 to 100 phr. Experimental measurements showed good agreement with theoretical calculations obtained from simulation results. We have also compared the shielding characteristics of these samples with that of other commonly used materials.