Photon Interaction Studies with Some Glasses and Building Materials

Mass attenuation coefficients of some shielding materials, namely, Bakelite, black cement, white cement, plaster of paris, and concrete were determined at 356-, 511-, 662-, 1173-, and 1332-keV energies, and those of glasses containing oxides of B, Cd, Pb, and Bi were determined only at 662 keV using a narrow beam transmission method. These coefficients of glasses were then used to determine their interaction cross sections, effective atomic numbers, and electron densities. Good agreement was observed between the experimental and theoretical values. It has been proven that glasses have a potential application as a transparent radiation shielding.