A STUDY OF THE RADIATION SHIELDING CHARACTERISTICS OF BASIC CONCRETE STRUCTURES AT THE TOWER SHIELDING FACILITY

Technical Report · Fri Jan 24 04:00:00 EST 1964

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4115070· OSTI ID:4115070

Cain, V. R.

In the first of a series of experiments performed to investigate the protection afforded by various typical structures against prompt weapons radiation, radiationintensity measurements were made at the Tower Shielding Facility in two concrete-shielded bunkers and in an interconnecting tunnel. Prompt weapons radiation was simulated by the Tower Shielding Reactor II, which was operated 100 ft above the ground. The distance between the reactor and the bunkers was approximately 700 ft. The bunkers were each 12-ft cubes and were constructed so that the shield thickness on the front face of one and on the top face of the other could be varied in 4-in. steps from 0 to 20 in. The thickness of concrete and dirt surrounding all other faces was sufficient to make them black to incident radiation. The immediate goals of the experiment were to study (1) the attenuation of radiations by various thicknesses of ordinary concrete slabs, (2) the buildup of radiation intensities within the cavities by scattering of radiation in the walls, and (3) the transmission of radiation down a tunnel with two right-angle bends. The gamma-ray and fastneutron dose rates and thermal- neutron fluxes measured at various positions within the bunkers and in the tunnel and the pulse-height spectra from a 3-in. sodium iodide crystal determined at one position in the top bunker and one position in the tunnel are reported. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
• NSA Number: NSA-18-009556
• OSTI ID: 4115070
• Report Number(s): ORNL-3464
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ABSORPTION
BUILDINGS
CONCRETES
CONFIGURATION
CRYSTALS
FAST NEUTRONS
GAMMA RADIATION
MEASURED VALUES
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
NEUTRON FLUX
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PHYSICS
PLATES
PULSE ANALYZERS
PULSES
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIATIONS
REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SCATTERING
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SHIELDING
SODIUM IODIDES
SPECTRA
THERMAL NEUTRONS
THICKNESS
TSR-2