A study of energy absorption buildup factors of some steels

Abstract

We have studied the energy absorption buildup factors of some steels (316 LN, 317 L, 317 LM, 317 LMN, 317 LN, XM-14, XM-17, XM-18, and Nitronic 60) for wide energy range (0.015–15 MeV) up to the penetration depth of 40 mfp using geometric progression fitting method. Buildup factors increase with the increase in the penetration depth. It is found that the shielding parameters such as mass attenuation coefficient, effective atomic number, and buildup factor values are larger for steel type 316 LN than the other studied steels. Hence, the steel type 316 LN is a good shielding material among the studied steels. The present study is useful in the field of radiation shielding.

Keywords

• Buildup factor
• penetration depth
• shielding parameter