Computational and Experimental Investigation of the Shielding Properties of Polymer Composites for Space Applications
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Woodrough, Mary Elizabeth
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Abstract
Reduction of dose to personnel and equipment in space is a matter of grave concern.
Hydrogen rich materials, especially polymers such as polyethylene can provide substantial
dose reduction. The inclusion of fillers in a polymer matrix can enhance the structural
properties of the polymer, conserving weight and volume on spacecraft. Such fillers can
positively or adversely affect the shielding properties of the polymer matrix. Modeling and
experimental studies must therefore be conducted to determine the effect of the filler on the
shielding properties, strength, and longevity of the polymer composite shields. This work
models the effect of various fillers in polymer matrices using High Charge and Energy
Transport (HZETRN2020) and MCNP 6.2, and experimentally explores the efficacy of
these materials in shielding electronic devices using a clincal linear accelerator. It seeks
to determine whether modeling a composite as layers of pure material is valid, and what
effects a layered versus composite approach has on radiation shielding properties, both
computationally and in an experimental setting.
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Date
2025-05-02
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