An experimental study on the investigation of nuclear radiation shielding characteristics in iron-boron alloys

This study focused on the investigation of nuclear radiation shielding parameters of iron-boron alloys, which occupy an important place in powder metallurgy. Fe (100-x)B(x) alloys (where x: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20) were irradiated with Am-241, Ba-133 and Eu-152 radioactive sources which are emitted 0.0532, 0.0595, 0.0796, 0.0810, 0.1218, 0.2764, 0.3029, 0.3560, 0.3443, 0.3839, 0.7789 MeV photon energies. The photon intensities were measured by using an Ultra Ge detector. The mass attenuation coefficients (μρ) were acquired experimentally and then half value layers (HVL), the mean free paths (MFP), effective atomic numbers (Zeff) and effective electron densities (Nel) values were calculated by utilizing the μρ values. The outcomes also compared to theoretical values by employing WinXCOM. In addition, the Exposure (EBF) and Energy Absorption (EABF) Buildup Factors were computed at 0.015–15 MeV photon energies up to 40 mfp for Fe99B1 and Fe80B20. The results present that the Fe–B alloy including 20% boron own the highest HVL, MFP values than the others. It is demonstrated that the addition of boron to Fe doesn’t affect positively the photon shielding ability of the Fe–B alloys. However, when compared to the previously reported shield materials, they appear to be quite successful in the sense of gamma attenuation in the selected energy range. Besides, neutron dose transmission experiments were performed and the ΣR values were calculated. In contrast to gamma shielding properties, as the amount of boron increased in Fe–B alloys, their neutron reduction capacity increased.