Gamma-ray interaction studies of concrete with waste glass fillers

In the present work, the efficacy of waste glass as fillers in concrete for gamma-ray shielding has been studied. Glass fillers of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60% concentrations have been incorporated into the concrete mixture. The attenuation measurements were performed using gamma spectrometer with NaI(Tl) detector at 511, 662, 1173, and 1332 keV gamma energies. Gamma-ray shielding parameters, such as the mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), are determined for all filler concentrations. The mass attenuation coefficient of the prepared samples was found to be varied from 0.081 to 0.088, 0.071 to 0.088, 0.05 to 0.058, and 0.05 to 0.055 (cm2 per g) for 511, 662, 1173, and 1332 keV gamma energies, respectively. It was observed that experimentally determined (μ/ρ) values were in very good agreement with theoretical values calculated from EDAX data. Furthermore, it was observed that (μ/ρ) showed an increasing trend with an increase in filler concentration, which is attributed to the increase in the shielding property of the material. Therefore, the glass-concrete composite can be accustomed to reduce the intensity of gamma radiation.