Thermoluminescence induced in concrete for gamma dosimetry in case of nuclear accident

The thermoluminescence of concrete was found to offer an inexpensive and simple technique for estimating the gamma dose associated with a nuclear accident. The useful range of the fine component of concrete (that which passes through 180 mesh screen) is between 30 and 2 × 104 R when pre-annealed 10 min at 100°C and read using a heating cycle of 200°C in 30 sec. Maximum fading rate observed was 5%/day with an energy dependence similar to Al2O3 or SiO2 This paper discusses TL characteristics, glow-curves, fading, sensitivity, reproducibility, energy response, linearity and sample preparation of concrete.