Photon interaction, energy absorption and neutron removal cross section of concrete including marble

The gamma and neutron shielding properties of different types of concretes have been investigated. The effective atomic number, Zeff, and the effective electron density, Ne,eff, for photon interaction and energy absorption have been calculated for a wide range of photon energy for concrete where marble concentrations used 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%. The macroscopic fast neutron removal cross-sections and mean free paths have also been calculated by NXcom program. The moderator effect on neutron attenuation coefficient has been discussed. Also, the transmission of neutron has been obtained as a function of thickness of concrete for all concrete types. It was found that increasing marble rate in the concrete leads to decrease of neutron removal cross section and improvement of shielding against gamma rays. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.