Running head: Recycling Against Radiation 1

Recycling Against Radiation

George French and Zane Vandivere

11/15/18

Dr. Psaker
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About the Project

After some discussion, we found that we had a common interest in astrophysics. We

listed three project ideas that we both found interesting within the field of astrophysics. After

conducting research on each of them, we decided on studying our current project: radiation

shielding. When we looked for inexpensive, innovative, and long-term ways to block radiation,

we found high-density polyethylene to be a promising candidate and decided to test it. Leading

up to this point in our project, we have conducted research on the fundamentals of radiation

energy levels, properties of materials, and the processes involved with recycling. We have

constructed the website for our project that contains all of our research sources, our diagrams,

and our experimental design.

Currently, we have been preparing for our upcoming experiment. We have collected

dozens of recyclable plastic grocery bags that we will use to test our hypothesis. We also are in

the process of attempting to gain access to an x-ray machine for our experimentation. Because it

is against safety regulations, we cannot purchase our own x-ray machine. However, it is possible

that we can have temporary access to a medical x-ray machine at a local hospital or veterinary

clinic.

Within the next two weeks, we plan to finalize our scheduling for the experiment. We

hope to get access to an x-ray machine for our testing. Additionally, we will be maintaining our

website and updating it with our latest progress.

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Data / Results

Right now we have not collected any data to report.

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Materials and Methods

Materials

- Pure (non-recycled) HDPE sheets

- Plastic HDPE waste

- X-ray machine

- Geiger counter

- Wood

- Saw

- Ruler

- Sanding tools

- Clamps

- Wax paper

- Pancake griddle

- Oven

- Blender

- Stirring rod

Procedure:

Molding recycled plastic

1. Cut up recycled plastic with scissors.

2. Shred plastic pieces in blender.

3. Build ½ inch thick, 12 inch by 12 inch molding cast, making sure to sand down

particularly rough areas to ensure the plastic sheets are not irregular after molding.
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4. Heat the shredded plastic on the pancake griddle on top of wax paper until the pieces

have begun to meld together.

5. Soften plastic in oven until soft enough to mold.

6. Put plastic in mold and let set, keeping constant pressure to prevent swelling and wax

paper between wood and plastic.

Testing plastic sheets

1. The first measurement taken must be the control. This should be done by simply

measuring the output radiation of the X-ray machine with no barriers. All measurements

should be taken for a duration of about 10 seconds.

2. After measuring and recording the control, one 1/2” HDPE sheet should be placed in a

position where it visibly would be hit by all x-rays travelling to the geiger counter.

Record the geiger counter readings with radiation exposure.

3. Repeat step 2 four more times, adding another 1/2” HDPE sheet directly in front of the

original sheet for each trial. For every trial, make sure that the position of the HDPE stack

does not move.