Journal du génie chimique et de la technologie des procédés
Libre accès
ISSN: 2157-7048
ISSN: 2157-7048
Hafiz Mubibb ullah Zulkafal, Muhammad Asif, Tariq Yasin, Saima Kanwal, Muhammad Afzal Khan and Khalid Iqbal
Purpose: Nuclear radiations have broad applications in our daily life, while unwanted radiations are harmful for man as well as environment. The main objective of this study is to search better shielding material for transportation of radioactive substances, to form a light weight safety dress for workers and defence solutions.
Materials and methods: Composite of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) containing 20 parts per hundred (phr) Boron Carbide (B4C) was prepared using Two Roll Mill. Thermo-oxidative ageing was performed at Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) using ageing oven in air at circulation speed of 15 rev/min. Thermal oxidative ageing of samples were carried out at 70°C for 12 days in ageing oven. Gamma ageing of samples were carried out by using Gamma irradiation facility at Pakistan Radiation Services (PARAS) Lahore. This was performed using 60Co gamma irradiator in air at a dose rate of 1.02 kGy/h. The polymer composite are subjected to various doses of gamma radiation ranging from 100 to 400 kGy. Mechanical properties measurement were carried out for this composite are The tensile strength, elongation at break and young’s modulus were measured using universal tensile testing machine. The solvents used in this study are: Acetone, chloroform, distilled water, kerosene oil, methanol, 12% NaOH, 10% H2SO4 and Xylene for Swelling measurements of composite at room temperature about 24 h to 48 h. Neutron attenuation properties of the composite were investigated using BF3 detector in Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1). Monte-Carlo simulation code (MCNP-5) and MCBEND was used to calculate the simulated results. Comparison of experimental and simulated result shows a good agreement with each other.
Results: Monte Carlo simulation results are matching to the experimental results and it is seen that addition of boron carbide increase the attenuation of thermal neutrons to about 167% than unloaded sample. Normally no swelling for water, 12% NaOH, 10% H2SO4 and Ethanol proves good for these environments. Mechanical characteristics are also favorable and show bearable behavior of the composite.
Conclusions: On the basis of experimentally observed behavior, characteristics and response to radiation, it can be concluded that styrene butadiene rubber/boron carbide based composites are the excellent materials for shielding radiations.