Monte Carlo simulations of gamma ray scattering through concrete with embedded lead sheets

With the hazard brought by highly energetic gamma radiation, it is necessary to increase the effectiveness of the gamma shields by considering their internal geometry or the arrangement of the materials within the shield. The study primarily analysed the effectiveness of the gamma shield based on its geometry to suggest a different configuration for radiation protection. The two geometries are horizontal and vertical embedded lead sheets inside the concrete slab. A total of 10,000 particles were simulated to traverse different set-ups of gamma shields using a Monte Carlo simulation programmed in the MATLAB desktop software. In the simulation, a random walk method was used within the shield to determine the scattering of photons. The results show that the concrete slab containing horizontal lead sheets compared with the concrete slab containing vertical lead sheets produced a difference of 0.06-1.01% in the number of transmitted photons and a difference of 1.15-3.85% in the average transmitted energies. Between the two configurations, the horizontal geometry of the embedded lead sheets is more effective in attenuating gamma scattering.