Properties of natural rubber (NR) and wood/NR composites as gamma shielding materials

Abstract

Abstract In this work, gamma shielding, cure characteristics, and mechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) and wood/NR composites was investigated with the addition of lead (Pb) powder for potential use as flexible shielding materials. The content of Pb powder in this work was varied from 0 to 50 part per hundred parts of rubber by weight (phr) in 10-phr increment. The results showed that the increases in Pb contents led to the improvement in gamma attenuation but had negligible effects on cure properties of the composites. The increases in Pb contents reduced overall tensile properties of the NR and wood/NR composites, while the addition of 20-phr wood particles in wood/NR composites increased the tensile strength, elongation at break, surface hardness, and dimensional stability. Hence, the overall properties investigated in this work suggested that the developed NR and wood/NR composites could be used to attenuate low-intensity gamma rays produced after former steps of shielding such as after thermal neutron or beta shielding.