Analytical and Experimental Investigations on Using Waste Marble Powder in Concrete

Abstract

Research using marble powder as a partial replacement of cement in concrete has gained a lot of attention recently. In this paper,the effect of dried marble powder on particle packing of concrete has been demonstrated. Experimental investigations have been conducted onthe effect of marble powder on hydration reaction, strength activity index, and possible reasons for the gain in strength. In addition, statisticalmethods were used to develop two mathematical models for marble powder incorporated in concrete using experimental values. In the firstmodel, the ratios of 28-day compressive strength between concrete with cement partially replaced by marble powder and control concretehave been related to marble powder replacement percentage. In the second model proposed, modified and simplified relationships for thewater-cement law when cement is partially replaced by marble powder have been provided. The first model was validated for both standardcubes and cylinders used for testing by researchers and the predictions showed only 7.15% error as compared with the experimental values.The second model might serve as a useful tool for mix proportioning of concrete mixes incorporating marble powder in concrete. Finally,based on a review of the literature and experimental results, a set of guidelines has been proposed for the use of marble powder as a partialreplacement of cement in concrete