Investigation of gamma-ray shielding effectiveness of natural marble used for external wall cladding of buildings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Gamma-ray shielding effectiveness of different types of natural marble tiles commonly used for cladding the exterior walls of residential and non-residential buildings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has been investigated in the energy range 59.5–1332.5 keV. To this end, linear attenuation coefficients (μℓ) have been obtained by applying narrow-beam technique. Mass attenuation coefficient (μm), transmission factor (TF) and half-value layer (HVL) have been employed to study the shielding performance of marbles and also compared with those of calcite. The experimental findings revealed that HVL parameter correctly determined the shielding effectiveness of the dissimilar types of marble. Compared with other marbles, Carrara marble (Italy) showed preferable shielding effectiveness. Moreover, a formula, μm = aE−b, was proposed to evaluate and compare the shielding properties of the marble tiles over a broad energy range. In this formula, a and b were determined empirically. In conclusion, natural marble proves to be more reliable in reducing gamma radiation when used for external building cladding than ordinary concrete, and it could be a good alternative to lead shield against high gamma energy because it is 24% heavier than lead. Keywords: Gamma-ray shielding effectiveness, Attenuation coefficients, HVL, Transmission factor, Natural marbl