Clay and Cement Shielding Behavior from Gamma Sources

Clay is a native building material in Sudan and is utilized by most low-income people. The radiation shielding characteristics of clay and cement were tested with a specific thickness to explore the behavior of gamma radiation through these materials. The results were compared and estimated by the Phy-X, XCOM, and Py-MLBUF software packages. Mass Attenuation Coefficient (MAC), Linear Attenuation Coefficient (LAC), Half-Value Layer (HVL), Tenth-Value Layer (TVL), Mean Free Path (MFP), and equivalent atomic number (Zeq), which describe the shielding properties of the examined materials, were all determined and compared. The comparison of calculations by software and experimental data of all selected samples showed a high degree of agreement, with discrepancies ranging between 0.01 and 5%. The experiments were carried out in a chamber close to 137Cs and 60Co sources at energies of 662, 1173, and 1332 keV.