Title:

Investigation of the Shielding Properties of Polymer Composites for Space Applications

Speaker:

Ms. Mary Woodrough

Affiliation:

Sandia National Laboratory

When:

Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 11:00:00 AM   Add to Calendar

Where:

Boggs Building, Room 03-47

Host:

Chaitanya Deo
Chaitanya.deo@me.gatech.edu
404-385-4928

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 HZETRN2020 and MCNP6.2, 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 two slabs of pure material is valid, and what effects a layered vs composite approach has on radiation shielding capabilities, both computationally and in an experimental setting.

Biography

Mary holds two undergraduate degrees, a B.S. from Berry College and a B.S. in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT). Currently she is employed by Sandia National Laboratories while finishing her M.S. in Nuclear Engineering at GT. Her research interests include radiation effects in electronics and polyethylene composites as radiation shield materials.