GROUND ROUGHNESS EFFECTS FOR FALLOUT-CONTAMINATED TERRAIN: COMPARISON OF MEASUREMENTS AND CALCULATIONS

Abstract

The effect of ground roughness on the radiation field above fallout-contaminated ground is studied. At past weapons tests, the dose rate over fallout-contaminated ground was measured as a function of height and angle. These measurements are compared with calculations of the same quantities for 1. 12-hr fission products uniformly distributed on a smooth plane. None of the experiments is detailed enough to lead to firm conclusions about the ground roughness effect. However, the data indicate that the ground roughness effect can be simulated by assuming that the fallout is buried under a thin layer of material. For desert terrain this thickness of material is equivalent to about 25 = 10 ft of air. At 3 ft above the ground this corresponds to a reduction in dose rate by a factor of 0.6 to 0.7, compared to what would be received over a smooth plane.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 07, 1963
Accession Number
AD0410413

Entities

People

  • J. M. Ferguson

Organizations

  • Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Dose Rate
  • Dry Lakes
  • Engineering
  • Experimental Data
  • Fission Products
  • Gamma Rays
  • Grazing Angles
  • Low Angles
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Public Health
  • Radiation
  • Scattering
  • Shielding
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Aerosol Science/Aerosol Physics
  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Geotechnical Engineering.