• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.666-672
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• 2024

In the present work, a new brick series based on the Vietnamese white clay minerals from the Bat Trang was fabricated to be applied in the radiation protection applications during the decommissioning of the nuclear power reactors. The bricks were constructed under various pressure rates varied from 7.61 MPa to 114.22 MPa. The influence of pressure rate on the physical and γ-ray shielding properties were investigated in the study. The experimental measurement for the material's density using the MH-300A density meter showed an enhancement in the prepared bricks' density by 22.5 % with increasing the applied pressure rate while the bricks' porosity reduced by 31.2 % when the pressure rate increased from 7.61 MPa to 114.22 MPa. The increase in the fabricated bricks density and the reduction in their porosities enhances the bricks' linear attenuation coefficients as measured by the NaI (Tl) detector along the energy range extended from 0.662 MeV to 1.332 MeV. The linear attenuation coefficient increased by 13.8 %, 17.6 %, 17.0 %, and 17.1 % at gamma ray energies of 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV, 1.252 MeV, and 1.332 MeV, respectively. The enhancement in the linear attenuation coefficient increases the bricks' radiation protection efficiency by 10.22 %, 14.48 %, 14.09 %, and 14.26 % at gamma ray energies of 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV, 1.252 MeV, and 1.332 MeV, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1544-1551
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• 2024

A unique brick series based on Vietnamese clay was manufactured at 114.22 MPa pressure rate for γ-ray attenuation purposes, consisting of (x) metallic waste & (90%-x) red clay mineral & 10% (hardener mixed with epoxy resin), where (x) is equal to the values 0%, 20%, 40%, 50%, and 70%. The impacts of industrial metal waste ratio in the structure and radiation protective characteristics were evaluated experimentally. The increase in metallic waste doping concentrations from 0% to 70% was associated with an increase in the manufactured brick's density (ρ) from 2.103 to 2.256 g/cm³ while the fabricated samples' porosity (Φ) decreased from 11.7 to 1.0%, respectively. Together with a rise in fabricated brick's density and a decrease in their porosities, the manufactured bricks' γ-ray attenuation capacities improved. The measured linear attenuation coefficient (μ, cm^-1) was improved by 30.8%, 22.1%, 21.6%, and 19.7%, at E_γ equal to the values respectively 0.662, 1.173, 1.252, and 1.332 MeV, when the metallic waste concentration increased from 0% to 70%, respectively. The study demonstrates that manufactured bricks exhibit superior radiation shielding properties, with radiation protection efficiencies of 88.4%, 90.0%, 91.7%, 92.1%, and 92.4% for bricks with industrial metal waste contents of 0%, 20%, 40%, 50%, and 70%, respectively, at γ-ray energy (E_γ) of 1.332 MeV.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.36-44
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• 2002

The waste garnet powder as a raw material for clay bricks was studied its recycling. The physical strength of clay bricks are closely dependent both on the contents of $SiO_2$, $Al_2$$O_3$, and $Fe_2$$O_3$in clay and on the viscosity of it. Although the garnet power has very high contents of $SiO_2$, $Al_2$$O_3$, and $Fe_2$$O_3$, it could not substituted to clay because of its low viscosity. Therefore the substitution of sand with waste garnet powder was considered to influence positively on the strength of clay bricks .Mixing ratios of {clay-sand}, {sand-garnet powder}, and {clay-sand-garnet powder} based on weight were controlled in the production of clay bricks. The properties of clay bricks such as compression strength, moisture absorption, shrinkage, and specific gravity has been evaluated. It was shown that the optimal mixing combination was found to be { clay(50%)-sand(30%)-garnet powder(20%)} as a weight basis. The present study indicated possibilities to produce commercially clay bricks with the waste garnet powder. An economical benefit will be produced in viable in view of recycling waste garnet powder.

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 1998

The $UO_2$ pellets are usually sintered under hydrogen gas atmosphere. Hydrogen gas may cause unexpected early failure of the refractory bricks in the sintering furnace. In this work, nitrogen was mixed with hydrogen to investigate the effect of nitrogen gas on a failure machanism of the refractory bricks and on the microstructure of the $UO_2$ pellet. The hydrogen-nitrogen mixed gas experiments show that the larger nitrogen the mixed gas contains, the less the refractory materials are reduced by hydrogen. The weight loss measurements at $1400^{\circ}C$ for fire clay and chamotte refractories containing high content of $SiO_2$ indicate that the weight loss rate for the mixed gas is about half of that for the hydrogen gas. Based on the thermochemical analyses, it is proposed that the weight loss is caused by hydrogen-induced reduction of free $SiO_2$ and/or $SiO_2$ bonded to $Al_2O_3$ in the fire clay and chamotte refractories. However, the retardation of the hydrogen-induced $SiO_2$ reduction rate under the mixed gas atmosphere may be due to the reduction of the surface reaction rate between hydrogen gas and refractory materials in proportion to volume fraction of nitrogen gas in the mixed gas. On the other hand, the mixed gas experiments show that the test data for $UO_2$ pellet still meet the related specification values, even if there exists a slight difference in the pellet microstructural parameters between the cases of the mixed gas and the hydrogen gas.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.395-407
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• 2014

In this study, firing temperature of bricks from the Songsanri tomb complex is interpreted based on the mineralogical and physical changes of soil samples fired at different temperature. When soil samples were burned at 500 to $1,200^{\circ}C$, phase transition of clay minerals affected the mineralogical composition and microstructure, which leaded to alteration of physical features as color, water absorption and porosity. Mineralogical composition can be assumed to vary with the temperature by mineral phase stability, however, color, water absorption, porosity and microstructure had slow change under $1,000^{\circ}C$, and had rapid change from 1,000 to $1,200^{\circ}C$. Upon the mineral and physical alteration of soil, firing temperature of bricks from the Songsanri tomb complex were estimated. Some bricks were over fired at temperature more than $1,200^{\circ}C$, some high-burned bricks were fired from 1,100 to $1,200^{\circ}C$, some bricks were fired by 900 to $1,000^{\circ}C$ and some bricks ere assumed not to be fired. Henceforward mineralogical and physical study can be applied to interpretate more precise firing temperature.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.451-458
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• 2011

This study aims at identifying wall painting production technique of Songsanri No. 6 tomb based on optical examination and scientific analysis along with the investigation of written records of ancient wall paintings. The result displays that bricks with mortar were used for the construction of the wall, and masonry joint were made of lime, sand and gypsum. The surface of brick were plastered with black and thereafter with white lime. Finely sifted clay on the top of the white surface, were applied not with plasterer's trowel but with a brush for making ground surface. The clay are mineral particles smaller than $30{\mu}m$ of silt. The wall paintings of Sonsanri No. 6 is the only example of making ground layer with clay for painting of Sasindo (literally four heavenly animals painting) among remaining wall paintings of ancient tombs. The historical value of the painting should be attributed not only in terms that it displays a rare production techniques which were never discovered in any other paintings in Korea and Asia, but also it might had been uncompleted when the tomb were closed, even though it considers the fact that the wall painting were discovered in damaged condition in 1933.