Modern heavyweight concrete shielding: Principles, industrial applications and future challenges; review

• Published in: Journal of Building Engineering 2021-07, Vol.39, p.102290, Article 102290
• Main Authors: Ban, Cheah Chee, Khalaf, Mohammed A., Ramli, Mahyuddin, Ahmed, Naser M., Ahmad, Muntaser S., Ahmed Ali, Amal Mohamed, Dawood, Eethar Thanon, Ameri, Farshad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: By-product aggregate; Heavyweight concrete; Radiation attenuation; Radiation shielding; X-ray and gamma-ray radiations
• ISSN: 2352-7102; 2352-7102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102290

Heavy weight concrete (HWC) is one of the most used artificial materials for the embodiment of special infrastructures such as nuclear power, medical, nuclear science and industrial facilities. The review highlights the main aspects of HWC covering the general concept of radiation physics, fundamental of geometrical design for radiation attenuation and recent advances of HWC technology. An overview of recent research and development of HWC for various applications in engineering and radiation attenuation is elaborated. Besides, the primary industrial applications, future challenges and current limitations of research and development of HWC are also deliberated. Recent works had established that the degree of attenuation of biologically harmful forms of radiation, such as gamma-rays and X-rays, is proportional to the atomic mass (Z) of the shielding material. The high penetration power enables the radiations to penetrates the living bodies and causes harmful ionization of the biological cells. Therefore, the concrete material capable of effective attenuation of these rays plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and health of personnel in nuclear facilities. A comprehensive analysis of the literature shows the limitations in the present body of knowledge associated with the use of more than one type of nano-materials to achieve a virtually impervious HWCs. Besides, a significant gap was identified on the method of improving the cost efficiency of HWC by the use of byproduct heavyweight aggregates or by adding more than one type of aggregate and inclusion of heavyweight fiber. The review had established several critical areas for future works covering cost optimization in the formulation of high-quality HWC, reactive powder and geopolymer HWC, combinations of nano-materials, crack control and elevating Z-value of HWC to improve harmful radiation attenuation performance. •Introducing the principles of radiation insulation and the latest design methods specializing in heavyweight concrete (HWC).•Study of the various modern methods involved in the development of HWC.•Highlight the multiplicity of HWC industrial applications.•Highlight future challenges and current research limitations of HWC.