Investigation of the Influence of Gamma Radiation on Structural Transformations in Portlandcement Stone

Abstract

The radiation resistance of concrete under the influence of large doses of gamma radiation was investigated. To study the behavior of concrete under the influence of gamma radiation, two series of samples were taken: оne was the reference sample, and the other was exposed to gamma radiation. The temperature of the irradiated samples during testing did not exceed 40 °C, the reference temperature was also accepted to be 40 °C. The dose of gamma radiation was 109 rad. Its value corresponds to the dose that concrete can receive when it comes into contact with high-level radioactive waste from the Shelter over 300 years. Characteristics of an industrial gamma radiation equipment are: radiation energy is 1.25 MeV and dose rate is 2 Mrad/h. The use of such equipment allows reaching a dose of 109 rad in less than a month, and 108 rad - in 4-5 days. Concretes that were 28 days old and stored under normal conditions were exposed to gamma radiation.