@inproceedings{8531907,
  abstract     = {{For the disposal of high level radioactive waste, cementitious barriers are
considered worldwide and for various purposes. The Belgian supercontainer
concept, for example, considers the use of cylindrical concrete containers: the
radwaste is emplaced inside a hardened self-compacting concrete buffer, and for
closure of the supercontainer the remaining gap is filled by casting a selfcompacting
mortar. As a consequence, this cementitious layer is exposed to the
radioactive waste and gamma radiation during hardening.
In this research study, small self-compacting mortar samples are irradiated by
gamma rays during hardening, and exposed to different doses (Gy) and different
dose rates (Gy/h) at different hardening times at first exposure to investigate the
cement-waste interactions that might occur during hardening of the cementitious
barrier. The effect on the strength and the microstructure is investigated, by means
of compressive strength tests, scanning electron microscopy, and nitrogen
adsorption tests.
It was found that the observed strength loss due to gamma irradiation increases
with an increasing total received dose. Furthermore, the age at which irradiation
starts, plays a role in the effect of the gamma irradiation. A link between the
strength of the mortar samples and its porosity is found by means of the nitrogen
adsorption tests. A higher received dose increases the porosity which leads to a
decrease in compressive strength. BET-analysis shows that the specific surface of
the pores also increase due to gamma irradiation. Finally, SEM-analysis revealed
that gamma irradiation during hardening of cementitious samples affects the
microstructure.}},
  author       = {{Craeye, Bart and De Schutter, Geert and Gerardy, I}},
  booktitle    = {{Self-Compacting Concrete}},
  editor       = {{Khayat, Kamal H.}},
  keywords     = {{Gamma radiation,Self-compacting mortar,Strength,Microstructure}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  location     = {{Washington D.C., USA}},
  pages        = {{885--896}},
  title        = {{Hardening self-compacing mortar expsoed to gamma radiation}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}