Sustainable alternate binding material for concrete using waste materials: A testing and computational study for the strength evaluation

Abstract

This study targets to create a firsthand marble-based binding material (MC) for assessing its strength mixed with fly ash (FA) and Rice husk ash (RHA). MC was produced by scorching waste marble powder and clay. The MC was then mixed distinctly with fluctuating quantities of RHA and FA (20, 30, and 40% by mass of MC) to find the most appropriate blend for concretes in terms of strength achievement. Different machine learning (ML) methods, such as support vector machine (SVM) and AdaBoost regressor (AR), were utilized for compressive strength (CS) prediction after the CS test and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the performance of ML models was evaluated by comparing their R2 values, performing statistical checks and k-fold analysis, and calculating the deviation between the experimental and predicted CS. The CS of blended marble cement concretes (MCMs) was lower at the age of 28 days. However, at later ages (90–364 days), the CS of MCMs with 30% RHA (R30) was found slightly greater than the ordinary Portland cement concrete. The SVM model was reasonably accurate, but the AR model was more precise in estimating the CS of MCMs. Sustainable development is promoted through the mitigation of ecological distress caused by the discarding of marble debris, RHA, and FA through their incorporation into construction materials.