JAILCD2026-007: Numerical Simulation of Mechanical Properties Degradation of Radiation-Shielding Concrete Materials Used in Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract

Adding heavy aggregates such as cast iron, barite, and magnetite to concrete blocks can effectively resist the effects of neutrons, gamma rays, and X-rays. Therefore, heavy aggregate concrete is widely used in the biological shielding walls of nuclear power plants. However, irradiation can lead to temperature increases and breakage of silicon-oxygen covalent bonds in silica aggregates. Therefore, research on aggregate expansion under irradiation and the mechanical degradation of different shielding concrete materials is particularly important, yet related studies are relatively limited. This paper, based on experimental data from Professor Elleuch and material parameters provided by a survey of relevant literature, conducts heat transfer and mechanical degradation analyses on cast iron block concrete under different neutron injection levels. Furthermore, it performs mechanical degradation analyses on barite concrete and magnetite concrete separately. Formulas for the mechanical degradation curves of different heavy aggregates are derived, providing a certain reference for the aging analysis of heavy aggregate radiation-shielding concrete.