Petrographic, physical, chemical, mechanical, and radioactive characteristics tests were performed on magnetite, limonite, and hematite found in abundance in Egypt to determine their suitability for producing radiation shielding concrete. The contents of uranium and thorium were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis and gamma spectroscopy. The results obtained using the two methods have shown satisfactory correlation. The tests confirm that magnetite and limonite are suitable as concrete aggregate while hematite is not because of its friable nature and high contents of uranium, thorium, and cobalt.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.