A study on influence of particle distribution of mix on radiation attenuation properties of concrete

The radiation attenuation properties of concrete i.e.. coefficient of attenuation depends upon the density of concrete. Heavy density concrete using high density coarse aggregates like Hematite etc., are generally recommended for effective attenuation of radiations. However normal density concrete is considered economical than heavy density concrete provided there is no constraint for space. The objective of this paper is to study the radiation attenuation properties of normal density concrete with varying proportion of mix ingredients keeping the other parameters like strength etc., same. As there is no much variation in density of concrete mixes using varying size of aggregates, 20 mm maximum size of aggregate is used as per standard practice of concrete mix designs. It is observed that the increase in size of coarse aggregate increases the attenuation property of concrete. (author)