الفهرس 
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
In recent years, the energy and medical fields have seen a significant increase in using radiation-emitting equipment. However, exposure to radiation poses a threat to human health and the environment. To address this issue, preventing the leakage of harmful radiation from passing the appointed places such as equipment, nuclear plants, and hospital rooms is crucial. Heavyweight concrete has been shown to perform well in radiation shielding and is commonly used in the construction industry. This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties such as (compressive and tensile strength), physical properties such as (density, microstructure, and workability), durability (fire resistance by exposure to temperatures reaching 300 °C, 600 °C, and 900 °C, and sorptivity), and radiation shielding of conventional and heavyweight concrete. The heavyweight concrete was produced using heavyweight aggregate sourced from eastern and western Egyptian deserts. Three mixes concrete were prepared using 400 Kg/m3 with 10% silica fume of the cement weight, a water-to-binder ratio of 0.35, and 2% superplasticizer of the binder weight. Siliceous sand was used as the fine aggregate, and different types of coarse aggregate were used, Dolomite (D), Ilmenite (I), and Serpentine (S), with a ratio of 0.4 fine to 0.6 coarse for all mixtures. Test results show that the concrete density depends on the aggregate density, and increasing the concrete density enhances radiation shielding. Dolomite concrete mix showed the best performance, since, the ilmenite concrete mix showed the lowest mechanical properties. Additionally, the microstructure and type of aggregate significantly affect the concrete’s durability and mechanical properties.