Effect of marble powder content on compressive strength and water absorption of high-strength concrete

This paper presents the effect of marble powder content on compressive strength and water absorption of high-strength concrete to expand the utilization of such waste in the construction industry and to reduce the Portland cement production which negatively affects the environment. Mixture proportion of reference concrete without marble powder was designed as per TCVN 10306:2014 with a designed compressive strength at least of 60 MPa and slump of 16 ± 2 cm. To evaluate the effect of marble powder content on compressive strength and water absorption of hardened concrete, the Portland cement was replaced by the marble powder at levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% by mass. Experimental results showed that the marble powder significantly affected the engineering properties of fresh and hardened concretes, in detail: the replacement of Portland cement by the marble powder from 0 to 20% increased the slump of fresh concrete from 16.0 to 20.5 cm, and the void volume of hardened concrete at the age of 28 days from 2.66 to 4.79%, resulting in the reduction of compressive strength by 2.48–18.60% and the increase in water absorption by 1.59–3.79% when comprared with the reference concrete with 0% marble powder. However, the value of compressive strength at the age of 28 days of hardened concrete using 5–20% marble powder reached 60.94–73.01 MPa, ensuring the requirement in terms of compressive strength of high-strength concrete. In conclusion, the utilization of marble powder as the Portland cement replacement in a range from 5–20% was feasible in making high-strength concrete with compressive strength of above 60 MPa.