Characterization of hydrogen in concrete by cold neutron prompt gamma-ray activation analysis and neutron incoherent scattering

摘要

A combination of cold neutron prompt gamma-ray activation analysis (PGAA) and neutron incoherent scattering (NIS) has been used for nondestructive characterization of hydrogen as a function of position in slabs of wet concrete of differentcompositions. Hydrogen was determined by PGAA by scanning each sample across a 5 mm diameter neutron beam in 10 mm increments, and measuring the 2223 keV prompt gamma ray. NIS measurements were performed by scanning the sample across a 5 mm diameterneutron beam at 5 mm increments and detecting scattered neutrons. The measurements demonstrate the feasibility of the techniques for 2D compositional mapping of hydrogen and other elements in materials, and indicate the potential of these methods formonitoring the uniformity of drying concrete.