Abstract
Marble has been commonly used as a building material since ancient times. The disposal of waste materials from the marble industry, consisting of sludge that is composed of powder mixed with water, is one of the current worldwide environmental problems. This experimental study aims to valorize marble powder, which is achieved by grinding the sludge as filler added to the cementitious matrix of self-compacting concrete (SCC). The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the marble filler effects on the rheology in the fresh state and on the hardened properties of SCCs compared to those of limestone filler. To this end, two SCCs, SCCM and SCCL, manufactured using marble powder and limestone filler, respectively, were prepared and tested. The fresh properties of the two SCCs’ mixtures were determined by slump flow, L-box, V-funnel, sieve stability, bulk density, and air content. Tests on hardened SCCs included compressive strength, homogeneity, and quality in terms of ultrasonic pulse velocity and durability against carbonation and water penetration. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the specimens.
Highlights
Self-compacting concrete (SCC) was first developed in Japan in 1988 [1] and is a new concrete that is fully compacted without external energy
Having a property of physical improvement of the cement paste matrix, limestone filler is one of the materials that have extensively been studied in the literature. e effects of limestone powder on the rheological and mechanical properties of SCC have been widely studied. e results of these studies show that when adding limestone powder to the cementitious matrix of SCC, the workability improved with reduced cement content, the segregation resistance increased, and the pore distribution was modified [6,7,8,9,10]
According to the obtained results, the physical and chemical properties of the two analyzed powders correspond to the cited standard criteria. e two tested powders can be added as fillers in SCC formulation
Summary
Self-compacting concrete (SCC) was first developed in Japan in 1988 [1] and is a new concrete that is fully compacted without external energy. Marble filler materials can be successfully and economically utilized to improve certain fresh and hardened SCC properties [17]. Okamura and Ouchi [1] demonstrated that the self-compactability of SCC may be affected by various parameters, such as the material properties, mix proportions, and mix-design method They indicated that the self-compactability is highly sensitive to the water-filler ratio and coarse and fine aggregate sizes. E present experimental study aims at valorizing the sludge, which is the waste from the cutting operation of marble blocks and evaluating the marble filler effects on the fresh and hardened properties of the SCCs compared to those of limestone filler. 2. Experimental Program e main purpose of this study is to highlight the possibility of using marble powder, obtained by grinding the sludge, as filler added to the SCC cementitious matrix. Microstructural analysis was carried out on the prepared samples
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
