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X-ray radiation shielding properties of cement mortars prepared with different

types of aggregates

Article  in  Materials and Structures · July 2013

DOI: 10.1617/s11527-012-9959-2

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Original citation:
Ling, T.-C., Poon, C.-S., Lam, W.-S., Chan, T.-P., Fung, K.-L. (2013) X-ray radiation-
shielding properties of cement mortar prepared with different types of aggregate.
Materials and Structures, DOI 10.1617/s11527-012-9959-2
http://www.springerlink.com/content/81x4385458x030m8/

X-ray radiation shielding properties of cement mortars prepared with

different types of aggregates
Tung-Chai Ling,1,2 Chi-Sun Poon,1* Wai-Shung Lam,1 Tai-Po Chan,1 Karl Ka-Lok Fung1
1
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2University of Birmingham

Abstract
The types of aggregate used play an important role in determining the effectiveness of x-
ray radiation protection of cement mortars. Cement mortars were prepared using fine
aggregates obtained from six different sources. The influence of aggregate type on x-ray
shielding properties was studied. The results showed that mortars prepared with barite
and lead-laden recycled cathode ray tube (CRT) funnel glass provided better shielding
properties than mortars prepared with natural sand, natural crushed fine stone or crushed
beverage glass. This is attributed to the use of dense aggregates being able to interact
with x-ray radiation, thus reducing the depth of penetration. Due to the superior shielding
properties of the mortar containing barite, it can be used to replace traditional sand mortar
for applications as rendering or plastering materials for the construction of medical
diagnostic and CT scanner rooms.

Keywords: cement mortar, radiation shielding, waste recycling, recycled aggregate,

funnel glass.

1. Introduction
X-ray radiation shielding is based on the principle of attenuation, which is the ability to
block or reduce the intensity of radiation through photoemission and scattering by a
barrier material. Portland cement concrete has been known for decades as a polyphase
composite material for the purpose of radiation shielding [1-5]. Unlike other barrier
materials, concrete is a strong, durable and relatively inexpensive material to produce and
easy to form, making it more popular and widely used in construction works. Also, the
aggregate particles contained in a matrix of Portland cement paste have many of the
physical qualities that make it suitable for radiation shielding [4].

It is generally agreed that the use of heavyweight aggregate can significantly improve the
radiation shielding properties of concrete. Several research studies have been done to
investigate the effect of different types and amounts of aggregate used in concrete for
gamma radiation shielding [6-9]. Sakr [8] compared the shielding behaviour against
gamma-rays between concrete prepared with ilmenite, barite and gravel. It was found that

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 1

the aggregate type is the main factor affecting the density and thus the radiation
attenuation coefficient. He concluded that ilmenite concrete provided the best shielding
properties, followed by barite concrete and gravel concrete. Akkurt et al. [1] found that
the type of aggregate used in concrete was more important than the replacement rate in
affecting gamma-ray shielding. Akkurt et al. [9] prepared concrete with different
percentages of zeolite aggregate and found that the linear attenuation coefficient
decreased with increasing zeolite rate, which was probably due to the porous structure of
the zeolite that led to low-density concrete. Therefore, zeolite was not recommended to
be used in concrete for the purpose of gamma radiation shielding.

There are only a few studies on developing and optimizing construction materials as a
shield against x-ray radiation. It is therefore of interest develop cement mortar that can
provide high levels of radiation shielding ability by the incorporation of different types of
aggregate. In this study, six different types of aggregate were assessed. The basic
properties of the cement mortars, such as flexural strength, compressive strength and
hardened density were first evaluated before the radiation shielding properties were
assessed.

2. Experimental details
2.1. Raw materials
Six different types of fine aggregate (Fig. 1) with a particle size less than 2.36 mm were
used as follows:

1) Sand, a river sand sourced from the Pearl River.

2) Fine stone (FS), a crushed aggregate (granite) sourced from a local quarry. FS has
been widely used as a fine aggregate in the construction works in Hong Kong.
3) Beverage glass (BG), crushed beverage glass cullets derived from post-consumer glass
bottles (soda-lime) and obtained from a local glass recycling plant. In Hong Kong, the
BG is mainly used in non-structural concrete products.
4) Funnel glass-untreated (FG-U), derived from dismantled cathode ray tubes (CRT)
glass and crushed into particle sizes similar to sand. The crushed FG-U contained an
average lead (PbO) content of 22-25% wt. FG-U was obtained from a local CRT glass
waste recycling centre.
4) Funnel glass-treated (FG-T), an acid treated FG-U. The treatment process was carried
out by immersing FG-U in 5% nitric acid solution for 3 h to extract the lead on the glass
surface. The treated glass was washed with water before use.
6) Barite, a crushed heavyweight aggregate with a density of about 4.10 kg/m3 sourced
from a quarry in Hunan, China.

The physical properties of the studied fine aggregates are presented in Table 1.

ASTM Type I ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and fly ash complying with ASTM class
F ash were used as cementitious materials. The fly ash content was kept constant at 25%
of the total cementitious materials following our previous study [10]. Our previous results
demonstrated that under such conditions, the expansions due to the alkali-silica reaction
(ASR) were reduced to an innocuous behavior according to ASTM C 1260 (below

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 2

0.10%) even 100% beverage glass [11-12] or 100% CRT glass [10, 13] were
incorporated in the mix.

Sand Fine stone Beverage glass (cullets)

Funnel glass (treated) Funnel glass (untreated) Barite (heavyweight)

Fig. 1. Photographs of the six different fine aggregates obtained from different sources.

Table 1: Physical properties of fine aggregates

Type of aggregate
Physical properties
Sand FS BG FG-T FG-U Barite
Fineness modulus 1.97 1.67 2.70 2.94 3.01 2.70
3
Relative density (g/cm ) 2.62 2.62 2.49 3.00 3.10 4.10
Water absorption (%) 0.87 1.23 ~0 ~0 ~0 1.47

2.2. Mix proportions

All the mortars were proportioned with an aggregate-binder ratio of 2.5 (by volume) and
water-binder ratio of 0.45. Twenty-five percent of the total binder was fly ash. The mix
design parameters of the mortars were kept constant except that different types of fine
aggregate were used. The details of the mix proportions are shown in Table 2.

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 3

Table 2: Mix proportions of cement mortars
Binder Fine aggregate
Mix notation Fly Water
Cement Sand FS BG FG-T FG-U Barite
ash
Sand mortar 456 152 1519 - - - - - 273
FS mortar 456 152 - 1519 - - - - 273
BG mortar 456 152 - - 1446 - - - 273
FG-T mortar 456 152 - - - 1734 - - 273
FG-U mortar 456 152 - - - - 1734 - 273
Barite mortar 456 152 - - - - - 2370 273

2.3. Mortar sample preparation

For each of the mix proportions, all the materials used were put into a standard rotating
drum type mixer and mixed for 5 min. The freshly mixed mortar was placed into steel
moulds (40×40×160 mm prim samples) in two layers of approximately equal depth. After
each layer was filled, the mortar in the moulds was compacted by using a mechanical
vibrating table. For the radiation shielding test, thin disc steel moulds with dimensions of
100×100×5 mm were used. After the first layer of fresh mortar was filled, a rough
compaction was applied by rodding the moulds 5 times uniformly over the cross section.
After the second (final) layer was placed, the moulds were placed on a mechanical
vibrating table for compaction. All the prepared specimens were covered with a plastic
sheet and kept in the laboratory at a temperature of 23±3°C. After one day, the specimens
were demoulded and water cured for a further 27 days at an average temperature of
25±3°C before testing.

2.4. Hardened density and strength tests

Prim samples of 40×40×160 mm were used for determining the hardened density (ASTM
C642), flexural strength (ASTM C348) and equivalent compressive strength (ASTM
C349) of the mortars. All mechanical test results reported are the averages of three
measurements.

2.5. X-ray irradiation test

For each mix proportion, five disc samples were used to assess the properties of radiation
shielding. The x-ray radiation shielding test was performed in an x-ray laboratory
designed for medical diagnostic examination. The laboratory was installed with a
medium frequency x-ray unit (Toshiba, KXO-30R). Quality assurance tests for this unit
were performed regularly. These tests included output reproducibility, kVp accuracy and
kVp reproducibility. The results confirmed the very good performance of this x-ray
source with the coefficient of variation for all these tests being less than 2%. The distance
between the target of the diagnostic x-ray tube (DXB-0324CS-A) and the test samples
was kept at 700 mm. The dose at a point in free air beneath the samples was measured by
a 6 c.c. ionization chamber linked to a radiation monitor controller (Model 9015, Radcal
Corporation). The sensor was placed 100 mm beneath the test samples. Fig. 2 shows
respectively the schematic diagram and the photograph of the experimental test setup
used for this study.

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 4

 X-ray tube

Lead collimators

X-ray beam size:

(60 mm × 60 mm)

θ = 2.45°
1000mm
Sample

300mm
200mm Table-top
6cc Ion. Chamber
(Radiation sensor)

Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of the experimental setup of x-ray radiation shielding tests

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Flexural and compressive strengths
Figs. 3 and 4 present the flexural and compressive strengths of the mortars containing
different types of aggregate. The strength results depended on the types of aggregate used
in the mortar.

The flexural and compressive strengths of the mortar prepared with the natural aggregates
(sand and FS) were higher than the mortars prepared with recycled glass aggregates (BG,
FG-T and FG-U). The lower strength was likely related to the smooth surface and
impermeable properties of the glass aggregates, which weaken the bonds between the
glass particles and the cement paste. This is consistent with the results of our previous
study [14]. But all the mortars’ strengths were still >30 MPa. Furthermore, the mortar
prepared with barite aggregate showed particularly high compressive strength of 52.4
MPa at 28 days. This may be due to the characteristic structure of barite [15].

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 5

 2 8 -d a y flex u ra l stren g th (M P a ) 8

0
Sand mortar FS mortar B G mortar FG-T mortar FG-U mortar B arite
mortar
Fig. 3. 28-day flexural strength of mortars.

60
2 8 -d a y co m p ressiv e stren g th (M P a )

50

40

30

20

10

0
Sand mortar FS mortar B G mortar FG-T mortar FG-U mortar B arite
mortar
Fig. 4. 28-day compressive strength of mortars.

3.2. Hardened density

The results of the hardened density of the mortars are shown in Fig. 5. As would be
expected, the density of the mortars is directly related to the specific gravity of the
aggregates used. The barite mortar showed the highest density amongst all the samples
*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 6
examined, followed by FG-U mortar, FG-T mortar, with a density of 3043 kg/m3, 2546
kg/m3 and 2472 kg/m3, respectively. This can be attributed to the high molecular weight
of BaSO4 in barite and lead oxide metal contained in the CRT funnel glass, which
increased the specific gravity of aggregate and consequently increased the mortar density
[10]. For the mortars prepared with sand, FS and BG, the density values were quite
similar due to the comparable density of the aggregates.

3300

3100
H a rd en ed d en sity (k g /m 3 )

2900

2700

2500

2300

2100

1900

1700

1500
Sand mortar FS mortar B G mortar FG-T mortar FG -U mortar B arite
mortar
Fig. 5. Hardened density of mortars.

3.3. Radiation shielding properties

The radiation dose detected beneath the mortars gave an indication of the effectiveness of
the mortars to shield the passage of the x-ray irradiation. The lower the detected dose
meant that the higher shielding capability. All the dose values reported in this study are
the average values of five replicated samples.

3.3.1. Influence of aggregate type

It is seen from Fig. 6 that the doses detected for the sand, FS and BG mortars were
approximately the same, probably due to the similar density values of the three types of
[13, 16]. To check the feasibility of using the mortars for radiological applications, their
shielding capabilities are compared with conventional red brick and lightweight brick at a
constant irradiation energy of 140 kVp. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the dose values detected
for the mortar made with sand, FS and BG, were 50.1%, 50.9% and 40.3% higher than
that obtained for conventional red brick, respectively.

Unlike beverage glass, a drastic improvement in shielding was recorded when recycled
CRT funnel glass (both FG-T and FG-U) was incorporated into the mortars. For instance,
compared with the case of red brick, the doses detected decreased by 47.2% and 48.8%

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 7

for FG-T mortar and FG-U mortar respectively. This is because the recycled funnel glass
contained a high percentage of lead oxide (PbO), which made the glass cullets denser and
thus enhance its ability to block x-ray radiation. It is also noted that the removal of lead
on the FG-T surface through the acid treatment process had an insignificant effect on
shielding ability.

3.0

2.5
D o se (m G y )

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
Sand FS mortar B G mortar FG -T FG -U B arite R e d brick Lightwe ight
mortar mortar mortar mortar brick

Fig. 6. Dose attained beneath 5mm thick mortars.

As expected, the effectiveness of the mortar as a shielding material can be enhanced

significantly with the use of barite as an aggregate. The barite mortar showed the lowest
detected dose value, which represented about an 88.3% and 92.2% reduction as compared
to red brick and sand mortar, respectively. The results are consistent with others [1, 8].
This has proven that the barite aggregate is particularly well-suited for use in cement
mortar for radiation shielding applications.

3.3.2. Influence of mortar thickness

Fig. 7 shows the influence of mortar thickness on dose detected. There was a significant
gain in radiation protection with an increase in thickness. For example, as the shielding
thickness was increased from 5 mm to 10 mm, the dose detected for the mortars prepared
with sand, FS, BG, FG-T, FG-U and barite were reduced by 34.5%, 34.8%, 34.7%,
62.4%, 58.9%, and 79.4%, respectively. But the reduction was not linear, but rather
followed an exponential decreasing trend.

At 15 mm thickness, non-radiation dose was detected for barite mortar and the reduction
rate was seen to be greater than other tested mortars. This means that the photoelectric
interaction/attenuation of barite mortar (which contains elements of high atomic number)
were higher than other investigated shielding mortars, for a given thickness of sample. It

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 8

can be concluded that the degree of radiation protection can be compounded with either
thicker or denser shielding materials or combination of both.

5.0

4.5 Sa nd morta r
FS morta r
4.0 B G morta r
3.5 FG-T morta r
D o se (m G y )

FG-U mortar
3.0 B a rite morta r
2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

S a m ple s thic k ne ss (mm)

Fig. 7. Dose attained beneath the shielding mortars at different thicknesses.

3.3.3. Influence of different x-ray energy level

It is well-known that the energy level used in a general radiography room is in the range
60-120 kVp [17]. Therefore, it is important to ascertain the shielding efficiency of the
mortars under irradiation of x-ray energy between 40 and 140 kVp.

The influence of x-ray energy levels on the shielding efficiency of 5 mm thick mortars
are plotted in Fig. 8. As the irradiation energy increased, the dose detected beneath the
mortars increased. The slope of the ascending curves become steeper, particularly for the
mortars made with sand, FS and BG. In other words, when barite aggregate or lead-laden
recycled CRT funnel glass was incorporated into the mortars, the ability of the mortars to
withstand high irradiation energy exposure was much more effective than that of
conventional sand mortars.

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 9

 3.0
Sand mortar

2.5 FS morta r
B G mortar
FG-T mortar
D o se (m G y )

2.0
FG-U mortar
B arite morta r
1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

X-ra y e ne rg y le vel (k Vp)

Fig. 8. Dose attained beneath shielding mortars at different irradiation x-ray energies.

3.3.2. Linear attenuation coefficients, tenth-value layer and half-value layer thickness
The attenuation characteristics of the mortars for x-ray energy of 140 kVp were
determined and are summarized in Table 3 and Fig. 9.

Table 3: Attenuation characteristics of shielding mortars for x-ray energy of 140 kVp
Attenuation 1mm lead Half-value Tenth-value
Samples
coefficient (mm-1) equivalent layer (mm) layer (mm)
Lead rubber 4.010 1.00 0.17 0.57
Sand mortar 0.069 57.73 9.98 33.15
FS mortar 0.069 58.38 10.09 33.52
BG mortar 0.069 58.50 10.11 33.59
FG-T mortar 0.167 24.09 4.16 13.83
FG-U mortar 0.171 23.39 4.04 13.43
Barite mortar 0.284 14.11 2.44 8.10

The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC,µ) for the mortars was calculated according to
the equation:
Ix = I0eµx,
where, I0 is the dose detected without shielding, Ix is the dose detected with shielding and
x is the mortar thickness.

It can be clearly noticed that the LAC for the mortars prepared with sand, FS and BG
were significantly lower than the mortars prepared with FG-T, FG-U and barite.

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 10

Half-value layer (HVL) and tenth-value layer (TVL) are the thickness of shielding
material required to attenuate the radiation by half and 90%, respectively. As can be seen
in Table 3, the HVL and TVL are always inversely proportional to the LAC.

The 1 mm lead equivalent values also showed a similar trend. For example, if a proactive
layer with a lead equivalent of 1 mm is required, 57.7 mm of sand mortar is needed.
However, using a denser shielding mortar can considerably reduce the materials to
achieve the same effect. The thickness can be reduced by about 58.2%, 57.4% and 75.6%
when sand mortar is replaced by FG-T, TG-U and barite mortars, respectively.

1 mm lead e quivale nt Tenth-value la ye r (TV L) thic kne ss H alf-value la yer (H V L) thic kne ss

70

60
S h ield in g th ick n ess (m m )

50

40

30

20

10

0
Le ad S and mortar FS mortar B G mortar FG -T mortar FG -U mortar B arite
mortar

Fig. 9. Radiation shielding thickness of mortars corresponding to 1 mm lead rubber.

4. Conclusion
In this work, the feasibility of using different types of aggregate in cement mortar for
diagnostic x-rays shielding has been demonstrated. The results show that all the studied
mortars achieved a 28th day compressive strength >30MPa. The mortars prepared with
barite or lead-laden recycled CRT funnel glass enhanced radiation shielding ability due to
the increases in density of the mortar. The mortars, in particular the barite mortar can be
used as rendering or plastering materials for medical diagnostic and CT scanner room
construction.

Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank the Environment and Conservation Fund and the Woo
Wheelock Greed Fund, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for funding support.

*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 11

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*First author: t.ling.1@bham.ac.uk; tcling611@yahoo.com Page 12

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