@article{YahyaMounirAlMotorietal.2025, author = {Yahya, Ahmed and Mounir, Ahmed and Al-Motori, Shirin and Moustafa, Ahmed and Kohail, Mohamed and Raab, Bastian and Soltan, AbdelMonem and Mohsen, Alaa}, title = {Investigation of the mechanical, microstructure, thermal and gamma-ray attenuation characteristics of serpentinite and ilmenite-based concrete as bio-shielding materials}, series = {Materials Today Communications}, volume = {47}, journal = {Materials Today Communications}, publisher = {Elsevier BV}, issn = {2352-4928}, doi = {10.1016/j.mtcomm.2025.113107}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Owing to nuclear technology's significance in medical, industrial and military applications, this study assessed the effectiveness of some Egyptian raw materials in the production of heavy-weight concrete to shield hazards emitted radiations. Three mix-designs containing different coarser aggregates (dolomite (D), serpentinite (S) and ilmenite (Il)) were prepared. Their workability and physico-mechanical characteristics were examined. The hydrated concretes' phase composition and microstructure were analyzed using XRD, TGA/DTG and SEM/optical-microscopy. The impact of elevated temperatures (300, 600 and 900◦C for 2 hrs) on the mechanical properties was studied. The volume stability of concrete specimens was investigated using a hot-stage microscope and thermodynamics calculations. Finally, the gamma-ray attenuation was evaluated against the 137Cs radioactive isotope with 0.662 MeV energy. The results revealed that Il-concrete has the highest slump value, highest bulk density and lowest water absorption. Also, it has the most outstanding efficiency in gamma-ray shielding; its attenuation is higher than D-concrete and S-concrete by 271.2 and 168.1 \%, respectively. Replacing dolomite with serpentinite and ilmenite harms mechanical performance. However, the compressive-strength of the prepared concretes is in the range of 24.10-41.06 MPa at 28-days, achieving the building code's requirements for structural concrete. At elevated temperature, S-concrete showed the highest compressive-strength retention and highest volume stability.}, language = {en} }