Analytical and Experimental Investigations on

Using Waste Marble Powder in Concrete

Manpreet Singh 1; Anshuman Srivastava 2; and Dipendu Bhunia 3
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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 on
the effect of marble powder on hydration reaction, strength activity index, and possible reasons for the gain in strength. In addition, statistical
methods were used to develop two mathematical models for marble powder incorporated in concrete using experimental values. In the first
model, the ratios of 28-day compressive strength between concrete with cement partially replaced by marble powder and control concrete
have been related to marble powder replacement percentage. In the second model proposed, modified and simplified relationships for the
water-cement law when cement is partially replaced by marble powder have been provided. The first model was validated for both standard
cubes 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 partial
replacement of cement in concrete. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002631. © 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Concrete; Marble powder; Compressive strength; Modeling; Regression analysis.

Introduction studied the effects of marble powder incorporation on mortar and

In the present era of sustainability, the use of waste materials as
replacement of cement in concrete is being studied extensively.
It is of utmost importance to reduce the carbon footprint of cement
production, aiding lucrative utilization of waste materials. Many
by-products of industries, such as fly ash (FA), rice husk ash, and
blast furnace slag, have been used as partial replacement of cement
previously (Nagataki 1994). Even proper guidelines and prediction
models relating various parameters have been formulated for the
use of these materials (Bhanja and Sengupta 2002, 2003; Oluokun
1994). In the last 10–20 years, fine materials have found their use in
production of concrete and a number of studies related to fillers in
concrete have been published (Tikkanen et al. 2014). Functions of
fillers with and without the use of plasticizers were studied in detail
by Moosberg-Bustnes et al. (2004). Marble slurry is one such waste
material generated by the marble processing industry that has found
its use as a partial replacement of cement in recent years. Gupta
et al. (2008) replaced cement by marble slurry and found an in-
crease of 13.6% in compressive strength value for the 25% replace-
ment level. Corinaldesi et al. (2010) and Vardhan et al. (2015)
1
Assistant Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Lovely Professional
Univ., Phagwara, Punjab 144411, India; Research Scholar, Dept. of
Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani,
Pilani, Rajasthan 333031, India (corresponding author). Email:
singhmanpreet4990@gmail.com
2
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of
Technology and Science-Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan 333031, India. Email:
anshu@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in
3
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of
Technology and Science-Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan 333031, India. Email:
dbhunia@pilani.its-pilani.ac.in
Note. This manuscript was submitted on September 23, 2017; approved
on September 7, 2018; published online on January 16, 2019. Discussion
period open until June 16, 2019; separate discussions must be submitted for
individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in Civil
Engineering, © ASCE, ISSN 0899-1561.
observed that marble powder shows the filler effect in concrete and
does not take part actively in the hydration process. However, it
increases the strength for up to 15% replacement. Singh et al.
(2016) reviewed the effects of use of marble powder in concrete
through various characterization techniques. Aruntas et al. (2010)
used it as an additive in cement clinker and suggested that use of
10% marble powder as an additive in cement manufacturing was
beneficial. Rodrigues et al. (2015) also reported positive effects of
using marble powder for up to 15% replacement of cement on
mechanical properties of concrete with the use of plasticizers.
The effect of varying water:cement ratios has been studied so
far in only two studies. Aliabdo et al. (2014) used two water:binder
(w/b) ratios, 0.4 and 0.5, with percentage replacements 5%, 7.5%,
10%, and 15%. According to the author, for 0.4 w/b ratio for up to
10%, replacement strength and durability properties were good,
and for 0.5 w/b ratio, 7.5% was reported as the optimum dosage.
Singh et al. (2017e) studied the effect of replacing cement by mar-
ble powder for different w/b ratios of 0.35, 0.4, and 0.45 and per-
centage replacements at 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% on mechanical
properties of concrete. They reported that for w/b ratios of 0.35 and
0.4, the properties of concrete improved for up to 15% replacement
level, and for w/b ratios of 0.45 or higher the optimum dosage was
around 10%. Therefore, replacement percentage and w/b ratios
were found to have an effect on optimum dosage of marble powder
in concrete.
Based on the previous literature, calcite and dolomite have been
found to be the constituents of marble powder (Corinaldesi et al.
2010; Vardhan et al. 2015). However, calcite is the main constitu-
ent. Most of the studies have investigated the role of calcite in lime-
stone as inert filler and a reactive admixture. However, no study
has investigated the same for marble powder. Both limestone and
marble are rocks made from residues of calcium carbonate. There
is a difference between limestone and marble in their origin and
physical properties, even though they have almost similar chemical
nature. In general, these are used as construction material and as raw
material for various other industries. Limestone mainly consists

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(4): 04019011

 of two types of minerals; namely, calcite and aragonite. These are
two different forms of calcium carbonate itself. Limestone is sol-
uble in weak acidic media generally and sometimes even in water.
Depending on the pH value of water, temperature of water, and
ion concentration, calcite may remain as a precipitate or dissolve.
Marble is formed when the carbonate material in limestone is re-
crystallized. The internal carbonate crystal structures of limestone
and marble are different from each other. They would differ in re-
sults depending on the amount of calcium carbonate and its poly-
morphs present in each.
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In most of the studies, high levels of calcite were used, such that
most of it acts as a filler. Bessey (1938) discovered monocarboa-
luminate (Mc) and it was successfully synthesized by Carlson and
Berman (1960). The reactivity of calcite in limestone has been well
established. The hydration of ordinary portland cement (OPC)
blended with 20% calcium carbonate was investigated by Bonavetti
et al. (2001). At 3-day hydration, monocarboaluminate and ettrin-
gite were detected. However, at the end of 28 days, the presence of
ettringite was almost negligible and monocarboaluminate along
with monosulfate were found. Finally, after 90 days, monocarboa-
luminate and ettringite appeared as the stable hydration products
and monosulfoaluminate disappeared. Damidot et al. (1994) also
found similar results because hemicarboaluminate was not found in
the presence of calcium carbonate. Sprung and Siebel (1991) inves-
tigated the strength development of different limestone-blended
cement concretes. It was found that concrete with up to 20% lime-
stone had similar performance as compared with the control con-
crete. The effect of different fillers on the compressive strength was
examined by Soroka and Setter (1977). They demonstrated that
cement samples with limestone had the largest gain in strength as
compared with some pozzolanic fillers. In the early-age samples, a
maximum increase of about 10% in strength on substituting cement
by limestone was observed. It was concluded that the main reason
for increase in strength could be accelerated cement hydration due
to the availability of crystallization nuclei provided by the fillers,
rather than being caused by a chemically induced strength gain due
to the formation of carboaluminate as shown in Eq. (1)
C3 A þ CaCO3 þ 11H2 O → C3 A • CaCO3 • 11H2 O ð1Þ
Thus, calcite is found to serve two functions, one of which is
actively participating in the hydration process and the other as inert
filler. Matschei et al. (2007) also showed that a large part of calcium
carbonate is reactive and it affects the distribution of lime, alumina,
and sulfate.
Bentz et al. (2015) conducted an investigation on the influence
of both conventional limestone aggregates and fine limestone pow-
der on the performance of concrete. It was observed that a favorable
surface for nucleation and growth of calcium silicate hydration gel
at early ages was provided by fine limestone powder in the form
of calcite. That in turn accelerates and amplifies silicate hydration,
and also provides a source of carbonate ions to participate in reac-
tions with the aluminate phases present in the cement. However,
another polymorph of CaCO3 aragonite exhibited a different crystal
(and surface) structure that was not found to accelerate or amplify
silicate hydration at a similar particle size or surface area. Even
though these two forms of CaCO3 , i.e., calcite and aragonite, have
similar solubilities in water, aragonite enhances the reactivity of the
aluminate phase by forming carboaluminate. A total of 10% lime-
stone could replace an equivalent volume of cement in 100% OPC
concretes without any loss in performance of concrete. Fine pow-
ders have been found to show three different types of effects of
properties of hardened concrete (Tikkanen et al. 2014):
• They may take part in a chemical reaction such as hydraulic or
pozzolanic effects (Larbi 1993);
© ASCE 04019011-2
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(4): 04019011
• The filler effect may be observed in which intergranular voids
between the cement particles and the coarser aggregate are filled
by fine powders, thus producing a denser binder matrix; and
• Enhancement of the hydration by acting as nucleation sites for
cement particles and thus becoming a part of the binder matrix
(Gutteridge and Dalziel 1990; Lawrence et al. 2003; Soroka and
Stern 1976).
The way in which properties of concrete are affected on the
addition of filler depends largely on the amount of the material
and also whether it is used as replacement or as an addition. After
a certain percentage, the fillers start acting as diluents, thus reduc-
ing the compressive strength as compared with control concretes
(Soroka and Stern 1976). Some factors such as the particle size
distribution (PSD) and particle-packing density of the mix, the type
of cement, and the usage of plasticizer also are significant for the
properties of the fresh and hardened concrete (Tikkanen et al.
2014). Therefore, it is necessary to study the role of marble powder
as filler using particle-packing analysis and to check whether cal-
cite in marble powder takes part in reaction with C3 A in cement.
For materials like fly ash and rice husk ash, prediction models
are already available in the literature (Chopra et al. 2016; Pathak
et al. 2012; Topçu and Sarıdemir 2008). Abrams’ and Bolomey’s
law were modified and a new model was developed by Štefan
(1991) for silica fume concrete. A prediction model for compres-
sive strength of silica fume concrete using 150 × 300 mm cylinders
was developed by Gutierrez and Canovas (1996) in which the ef-
ficiency of silica fume was considered constant. However, Ganesh
Babu and Prakash (1995) reported that the efficiency of silica fume
depends on the levels of cement replacement. Bhanja and Sengupta
(2002) formulated a regression model involving nondimensional
parameters for prediction of 28-day compressive strength for differ-
ent types of specimens. Similarly, the law for water:cement (w/c)
ratio formulated by Abrams (1918) considered w/c ratio as the only
governing factor affecting the compressive strength of concrete.
However, with the inclusion of mineral admixtures this law is no
more valid because both w/c ratio and percentage replacement of
the material have an effect on the strength parameter. Therefore, the
conventional formulation needs to be modified according to the
pattern observed for different materials. Oluokon (1994) proposed
a modified w/c law for fly ash use in concrete. Bhanja and Sengupta
(2003) formulated a law for silica fume incorporating the efficiency
factor of silica fume. No such law is available for marble powder in
the literature. Therefore, there is a need for formulation of compres-
sive strength prediction model and a new w/c law for inclusion of
waste marble powder in concrete. This paper addresses these two
gaps and is an extension of the work presented by Singh et al.
(2017e).
Research Significance
In this paper, the effect of marble powder on particle packing of
concrete is demonstrated. Experimental investigations to study the
effect of marble dust on hydration reaction, strength activity index,
and exploring possible reasons for the gain in strength have been
conducted. The novelty of this paper is that it deals with develop-
ment of statistical methods, developing two mathematical models
for marble powder incorporated in concrete. In the first model, the
ratios of 28-day compressive strength between concrete with ce-
ment partially replaced by marble powder and control concrete
have been related to marble powder replacement percentage. The
expression that has been derived is on the basis of strength ratios and
not on the absolute values of strength. In the second model, modi-
fied and simplified relationships for w/c law when cement is
J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
 partially replaced by marble dust are proposed. This is required be-
cause the original Abrams’ law for conventional concrete does not
hold true for the concrete mixes with added materials. The percent-
age replacements vary from 0% to 25% and the w/b ratios from 0.35
to 0.5. Compressive strength results of 25 concrete mixes on almost
300 specimens were analyzed for statistical modeling. Finally, a set
of guidelines are proposed for the use of marble powder as a partial
replacement of cement in concrete.
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aggregates are listed in Table 2. Particle size distribution of sand is
shown in Fig. 2. Both the fine and coarse aggregate used conform to
the IS 383 (BIS 1970) and ASTM C33 (ASTM 2016b) grading
limits. Glenium B233 superplasticizer (New Delhi, India) conform-
ing to IS 9103 (BIS 1999) and ASTM C494 (ASTM 2016a) was
used as admixture. Waste marble slurry was procured from a mar-
ble processing unit (RK Marbles, Makrana, Rajasthan, India), in
the form of wet slurry. It was dried in the oven for 24 h at a temper-
ature of 100  10°C and then sieved through a 300-μm sieve.
Approximately 60% by weight of the marble slurry passed through

Experimental Program an Indian Standard (IS) sieve with a 300-μm-diameter opening.

Cement was replaced by the dried marble powder only by the
material passing the 300-μm sieve as an effect of various particle
Materials
sizes that were studied by Singh et al. (2017e). It was concluded
Ordinary portland cement (Pilani, Rajasthan, India) (Grade 43) there that the material passing through the 300-μm sieve was found
conforming to IS 8112 (BIS 1989) and ASTM C150 (ASTM to give the best results.
2016c) was used in the present research. The physical and chemical Physical properties and particle size distribution of marble pow-
characteristics of the cement are presented in Table 1. Particle size der are presented in Table 1 and Fig. 2, respectively. Fig. 3 shows
distribution for cement is shown in Fig. 1. Tap water was used for
mixing and curing purposes. Crushed basalt (Pilani, Rajasthan, In-
dia) was used as coarse aggregate and crusher sand was used as fine Table 2. Aggregates size and specific gravity
aggregate for concrete samples. Crushed sand primarily contains Physical property Fine aggregate Coarse aggregate
typical rock-forming minerals like quartz, feldspar, and the mica Specific gravity 2.45 2.72
group of minerals as revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. Bulk density (kg=m3 ) 1,789 1,540
Rock-forming minerals like quartz and feldspar are basically inert Water absorption (%) 0.78 0.51
in nature. Standard silica sand (Tamil Nadu Minerals, Ennore,
Chennai, India) conforming to IS 650 (BIS 1991) was used for
mortar strength testing. At the time of mixing the aggregates used
were oven dried. The specific gravity and particle size range of the

Table 1. Chemical and physical properties of cement and marble powder

Material or property OPC Marble powder
Chemical composition (%)
SiO2 20.27 3.86
Al2 O3 5.32 4.62
Fe2 O3 3.56 0.78
CaO 60.41 28.63
MgO 2.46 16.9
SO3 3.17 —
Loss on ignition 3.55 43.3
Physical properties
Specific gravity 3.15 2.67 Fig. 2. Particle size distribution of sand and marble powder.
Fineness (m2 =kg) 313 250

Fig. 1. Particle size distribution of cement. Fig. 3. Particle size distribution of coarse aggregate.

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Fig. 4. (a) XRD of marble powder; (b) thermogravimetric analysis of marble powder; (c) SEM of marble powder showing elements; and (d) EDS of
marble powder showing elements.

the particle size distribution of coarse aggregate. The mineralogical
composition of dried marble powder was found using powdered
XRD analysis in the Physics Department of the Birla Institute
of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, with an X-ray source
of Cu Kα radiation (λ ¼ 1.5418 Å) for diffraction angle varying
from 10° to 80° in 2θ ¼ 0.020° at 2° per minute. The peak phases
were identified using software named Match! version 3.7.0, which
was developed by . An open crystallography database with an ex-
tension for cement-based materials was used to match the peaks.
Mainly calcite and dolomite were present in crystalline phases as
shown in Fig. 4(a). Table 1 shows the chemical composition of mar-
ble powder from an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) test. A very small
percentage of silica and alumina are present in the raw material,
which would not help it in taking part actively in the hydration pro-
cess for formation of calcium silicate gels as observed by Aliabdo
et al. (2014) and Vardhan et al. (2015). Thermal analysis of marble
powder showed the presence of calcium carbonate as the main con-
stituent. For temperature in the range of 740°C–800°C, a steep loss
in weight was detected due to the decomposition of calcite, which
is an endothermic reaction as shown in Fig. 4(b). A scanning elec-
tron microscope (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
(EDS) extension was performed on marble dust, showing lime as
the main constituent of the powder as shown in Figs. 4(c and d),
respectively.
Procedures
Particle Packing
Efficient particle packing is required for concrete to achieve im-
proved mechanical strength and durability. The literature shows
that marble powder has been mainly found to give a filler effect by
providing efficient particle packing in concrete mix (Aliabdo et al.
2014; Gupta et al. 2008; Shirulea et al. 2012; Singh et al. 2017e).
As a demonstration, the concrete mix was designed for M20 with
minimum amounts of cement according to IS 10262 (BIS 2009).
Marble powder as partial cement-replacing material was used be-
cause of its fineness. The compositions of the mixtures and their
reference mixture are presented in Table 3. The PSD of the cement,
sand, and marble powder is given in Figs. 1 and 2. Coarse aggre-
gates are taken as passing through 20- and 10-mm sieves in a ratio
of 65%–35% and their PSD is given in Fig. 3. The particle-packing
analysis was done using EMMA software. It helps in calculating

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 Table 3. Proportions of concrete mixtures
Water:binder Cement Marble powder Marble powder Coarse aggregate Fine aggregate Admixture Water
ratio (kg=m3 ) (%) (kg=m3 ) (kg=m3 ) (kg=m3 ) (L=m3 ) (kg=m3 )
0.45 351 0 0 1,183 858 0.35 158
0.45 315.9 10 35.1 1,183 858 0.45 158
0.45 298.35 15 52.65 1,183 858 0.52 158
0.45 280.8 20 70.2 1,183 858 0.61 158
0.45 263.25 25 87.75 1,183 858 0.7 158
Note: At the time of mixing, the aggregates were oven dried, thus no special account was taken for moisture in mix design. Also, the marble slurry was dried in
the oven for 24 h at a temperature of 100  10°C and then sieved through a 300-μm sieve.
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and displaying the PSD of a mixture of components. It applies a The procedure used was as follows: Three mortar blocks were
model’s best-fit particle packing based on the Andreasen model by cast for 3, 7, and 28 days of curing, respectively. Cement content
Andreasen and Andersen (1930) for making efficient particle pack- was taken as 200 g of cement mixed with 600 g of sand according
ing. Particle size distribution modulus, q, given by Eq. (1), was to IS 650 (BIS 1991) as 600 g, i.e., a ratio of 1∶3 for cement and
defined by Andreasen while modeling PSDs that would serve as sand according to IS 4031 Part 6 (BIS 1988). Water content was
a measure of the contribution of the various ingredient size classes taken according to the standard consistency of cement paste, which
that compose the mixture to the overall particle size distribution. In was 31%. Mortar pastes were then mixed and cast in 50-mm molds.
Eq. (2), CPFT is the cumulative percent of particles finer than a All blocks were demolded after 24 h and placed in a tap water bath
given particle size D, and Dl is the size of the largest particle at 23°C for curing. After removing them from the bath they were
surface dried and finally tested for compressive strength. The
Dq strength activity index (SAI) is therefore reported according to
CPFT ¼ × 100 ð2Þ
Dl Eq. (3)
 
A
The distribution modulus is the slope of the line tangent to the SAI ¼ × 100 ð3Þ
B
CPFT curve plotted on a logarithmic scale. This is a simple-to-use
tool that allows the control and optimization of the composition of where A = compressive strength of the mix sample (MPa); and
the different size classes in any given particulate system. Using the B = strength of the control mortar (MPa).
EMMA software, mixtures composed of several discrete size classes Generally for pozzolanic materials, SAI results greater than
can be easily built as a function of a desired modulus, q. Small var- 0.80 after 28 days are indicative of a positive pozzolanic activity
iations in the composition can create significant changes in the for FA for a cement replacement of 30%. ASTM C186 (ASTM
model line slope and the properties of the particle size distributions. 2015) requires a SAI greater than 0.75 after 7 and 28 days for
The q value gives the slope of the target line on the graph. For FA and natural pozzolans at a cement replacement level of 20%.
the present case a q value of 0.34 was selected, which represents a Table 4 shows the mix proportions used for the three cases.
target slump range of 110–130 mm. The software EMMA has pre-
loaded CO2 emission values for each raw material used in the mix Heat of Hydration
in its inventory. Therefore, evaluating it gives an output of how The heat of hydration for cement pastes with a w/b ratio of 0.5
much CO2 would be emitted in creating the mix. The software also was measured using an isothermal conduction calorimeter in the
helps in calculating the CO2 emissions on production of concrete. Chemical Engineering Department of BITS Pilani according to
ASTM C186 (ASTM 2015). The values were measured for the first
Strength Activity 24 h of hydration at a control temperature of 20°C.
In order to test whether marble powder acts only as a filler material
or any reaction takes place between calcite in marble and tricalcium Carboaluminate Formation
aluminate (C3 A) in cement, a strength activity test was conducted. As discussed in the “Introduction,” a reaction of CaCO3 with
Three cases were devised for preparing cement mortar blocks: C3 A forming monocarboaluminate takes place. For analyzing this,
1. 100% cement and standard silica sand; samples crushed in a strength activity test were immersed in
2. 90% cement and 10% silica sand, with the gain in strength due acetone for 24 h to stop hydration, and then ground to a fine powder
to 90% cement and the filler effect of sand; and before testing. They were tested with powdered XRD analysis in
3. 90% cement and 10% marble powder, with the gain in strength the Physics Department of BITS Pilani with an X-ray source of
due to 90% cement and the filler effect of marble powder. If any
extra gain in strength was observed, it would indicate the pos-
sibility of a chemical reaction taking place.
Cases 2 and 3 have been planned in such a way that the material Table 4. Mix proportions for different cases
replacing cement is of the same particle size distribution. One Component
material, i.e., silica sand (standard sand), is chemically inert, which
is already well established. However, the aim of the study is check Cement Sand Silica Silica Marble
Mix (g) (g) sand (g) sanda (g) powdera (g)
whether marble power reacts similarly to the compounds present in
cement, i.e., whether it takes part in the hydration process or not. Case 1 200 600 — — —
Both marble dust and silica sand would exhibit some filler effect Case 2 180 — 600 20 —
because of their particle size distribution. Case 3 190 — 600 — 20
Therefore, if any extra strength is found in the case with marble a
Particle size distribution of marble dust and silica sand replacing cement
powder, it would hint of a chemical reaction taking place. was taken as the same.

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(4): 04019011

 Cu Ka radiation (k¼ 1.5418 Å) for diffraction angle varying from
10° to 80° in 2 h ¼ 0.020° at 3° per minute. The peak phases were
identified using the Match! software. A crystallography open data-
base with an extension for cement-based materials was used to
match the peaks.
Analytical Model
In order to study the effect of marble powder on partial replace-
ment of cement in concrete, all the materials, mix proportions, con-
ditions for curing, and mixing and testing procedures were kept
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uniform. This was done to study the change in properties of con-
crete essentially due to incorporation of marble powder in concrete.
Workability was kept constant at 100-mm slump with the use of
superplasticizer so that the compaction energy remained the same.
The four water:binder ratios used were 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, and 0.5.
Cement was partially replaced by dried marble powder by weight
(1∶1) at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of the total binder content.
The mix proportion adopted was C∶FA∶CA ¼ 1∶1.63∶3.02. Mix de-
sign was done according to IS 10262 (BIS 2009). Cement content
was varied from 450 to 350 kg=m3 , with water kept constant at
around 160 kg=m3 .
Compressive strength was measured for mainly two types of
specimens according to the standards—150-mm cubes according
to IS 516 (BIS 1959) and 150 × 300 mm cylinders according to
ASTM C39 (ASTM 2016d). Testing of all the samples was done
after pond curing for 28 days. The values of strength reported were
an average of nine samples. A total of 300 samples were tested and
values were analyzed for statistical modeling.
Results and Discussion
Particle Packing
The straight line in Fig. 5 is the target [best-fit particle packing
based on the Andreasen Model by Andreasen and Andersen
(1930)], and the irregular line represents the particle-packing curve
of the design mix. When the particle-packing line is above the tar-
get line, it shows that too much material of that size is present in the
mix, and when below there is very little of that material present.
The results of the mix with 10% replacement of cement by marble
Fig. 5. PSD for (a) control concrete mix; and (b) concrete mix with 10% marble powder.
© ASCE 04019011-6
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(4): 04019011
powder show a better-fit curve [Fig. 5(b)] as compared with the
control concrete mix [Fig. 5(a)]. The area between the lines for both
cases was calculated and compared to confirm the particle-packing
criteria. The three areas identified started from particle size ranges
of 24.33–269.35, 286.64–1, 224.75, and 1,240.18–5, 233.04 μm.
In the first range, the percentage area between the lines for only the
cement case was 11%; however, for Case 2 it was 8%. For the sec-
ond range, in Case 1 the area between lines was 1% and in Case 2 it
was 0.3%. For the third range, the area between lines for Case 1 was
9.6% and for Case 2 it was 8.23%. The reduced area in Case 2 can
be attributed to the fines present in marble powder, which vary in
the particle size range of sand to finer than cement as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, thus they help in providing efficient particle packing
in concrete. Positive results for increased compressive strength for
the same mix design have been demonstrated by Singh et al.
(2017e). In addition, a decrease in CO2 emissions by 5.2% from
510.92 to 475.92 kg=m3 was found on replacing 10% cement by
marble powder. However, tests were still conducted to investigate
whether any chemical reactions were taking place in the system.
Strength Activity
The results for strength activity showed additional increase of
strength in samples containing marble powder instead of silica
sand. The strength ratio for samples at the end of 28 days was
higher by almost 13%, indicating that a chemical reaction is taking
place. However, because very little amounts of silica and alumina
were found to be present in the marble powder, X-ray diffraction
tests were performed to determine the reason for the gain in
strength. Table 5 shows the strength activity test results.
Heat of Hydration
The addition of marble dust was found to influence the hydration of
the cement paste as shown in Fig. 6. An increased rate of hydration
was found for the sample with 10% marble dust as partial replace-
ment of cement by weight. Tikkanen et al. (2014) also observed an
increase in degree of hydration on the addition of mineral powders
like limestone or quartz in concrete as compared to the control
mixes. The reason for increased heat of hydration could be the pro-
vision of nucleation sites by the extra-fine particles of waste marble
J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
 Table 5. Strength ratios X-Ray Diffraction Analysis
100% X-ray diffraction results in Fig. 7 show formation of Mc at the
100% cement silica sand 100% MP end of 28 days and reduction in peaks of C3 A content, thus indi-
CS CS CS cating some mineralogical changes in samples. The 2θ value for Mc
Days (MPa) Δ (%) (MPa) Δ (%) (MPa) Δ (%) according to the literature is 12° (Kakali et al. 2000). It has been
7 days 25 3.25 17 3.56 21 2.67 validated in the literature that mineral powders enhance the hydra-
28 days 41 4.1 32 4.07 36 3.44 tion process (Tikkanen et al. 2014). The amount of CaðOHÞ2
28-day strength ratio — 0.78 0.88 was not found to be much affected on using marble powder as
partial replacement of cement. However, improved strength was
Note: CS = compressive strength; MP = marble powder; and Δ = standard
observed on replacement. The improvement of strength could be
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deviation.
attributed to the acceleration effect of marble powder on the hy-
dration process, which is related to the formation of calcium car-
boaluminate hydrates. Also, the increased binding capacity of
carboaluminate is likely due to its compact structure as described
by Bonavetti et al. (2001). Singh et al. (2017e) demonstrated the
compaction and decreased porosity of concrete on use of marble
powder using SEM images. This is also in agreement with the work
of Kakali et al. (2000).

Statistical Analysis

Compressive Strength Prediction Model

Fig. 6. Heat of hydration of cement mix. C ¼ 100% cement;
C10 ¼ 10% marble powder, 90% cement.
powder. The enhancement effect of mineral powders on hydration
has also been observed for cement pastes (Péra et al. 1999; Ye
et al. 2007) and mortars (Lawrence et al. 2003). A similar effect was
also observed for blended cements containing ground-granulated
blast-furnace slag (GGBS) or fly ash (Sato and Beaudoin 2011).
The results of compressive strength for specimens and ratios of
strength of marble powder concrete and control concrete are pro-
vided in Table 6. Normally, if ideal conditions for casting, testing,
and curing can be maintained, then the trends for ratios of strength
are supposed to be identical, irrespective of the type of specimen.
However, in the real conditions some anomalies are observed be-
cause it is very difficult to maintain the conditions while casting
and testing even if the same concrete is used for the casting of spec-
imens. Hence, the ratios of strengths for same concretes are ob-
served to be different for different specimens. Thus, the ratios of
strengths can be used to establish a generalized expression for pre-
diction of compressive strength for marble powder incorporated
in concrete. Because the strength ratios are being considered for
deriving the relation, it would not be influenced by the type of
specimen used.
In the real-world scenario, developing a model that could incul-
cate all the parameters and variables that simultaneously would

Fig. 7. XRD of samples with (a) cement only; and (b) 10% marble powder. P = portlandite [CaðOHÞ2 ]; CS/CSH = calcium silicate hydrate;
C3 A = tricalcium aluminate; Mc = monocarboaluminate; and SO4-Aft = ettringite.

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 Table 6. 28-day compressive strength and strength ratios
150-mm cube 150 × 300 mm cylinder
w/b MP
ratio (%) CS Δ (%) CSMP =CS CS Δ (%) CSMP =CS
0.35 0 39.77 2.15 1 32.37 2.55 1
0.35 5 40.14 3.26 1.01 33.44 2.62 1.03
0.35 10 41.42 3.65 1.04 33.98 2.69 1.05
0.35 15 42.67 2.55 1.07 34.6 3.55 1.07
0.35 20 38 2.69 0.96 31.9 3.24 0.99
0.35 25 36.57 3.65 0.92 29.27 3.25 0.90
0.4 0 32.04 2.45 1 25.840 3.33 1
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0.4 5 32.95 2.53 1.03 26.050 3.48 1.01

0.4 10 33.56 3.68 1.05 26.46 3.56 1.02
0.4 15 34.78 2.14 1.09 27.44 3.55 1.06
0.4 20 31.78 2.36 0.99 25.38 3.87 0.98
0.4 25 30.53 3.57 0.95 23.63 2.98 0.91
0.45 0 23.14 3.24 1 18.22 2.11 1
0.45 5 23.98 2.58 1.04 18.28 3.54 1.00
0.45 10 24.5 2.28 1.06 18.4 3.84 1.01
0.45 15 24.1 2.63 1.04 17.8 3.56 0.98
0.45 20 22.56 2.51 0.97 16.86 2.87 0.93 Fig. 8. Percentage of marble powder and strength ratio.
0.45 25 21.08 2.87 0.91 15.28 2.33 0.84
0.5 0 21.54 3.22 1 15.14 3.22 1
0.5 5 21.78 3.24 1.01 16.08 3.26 1.06
0.5 10 22.15 3.98 1.03 16.35 2.80 1.08
0.5 15 21.76 2.98 1.01 15.86 3.22 1.05 (MP × MP). The P-value or probability value was used to determine
0.5 20 21.07 2.88 0.98 14.91 2.59 0.98 the statistical significance of results at a confidence level. In this
0.5 25 20.45 2.57 0.95 14.35 3.54 0.95 study the significance level of α ¼ 0.05 was used, i.e., the results
Note: CS = compressive strength; MP = marble powder; and Δ = standard were validated for a confidence level of 95%. If the P-value is less
deviation. than 0.05, then the corresponding factor has a statistically significant
contribution to the performance characteristic, and if the P-value is
more than 0.05, it means the effect of the factor on the performance
characteristic is not statistically significant at the 95% confidence
Table 7. Regression results level. The other important coefficient is R2 , which was defined as
the ratio of the explained variation to the total variation and is a
Term P Coefficient
measure of the degree of fit. As R2 approaches unity, the response
Constant 0.00 0.995279 model fitness with the actual data improves. The value of R2 ob-
MP 0.00 0.1039 tained was 0.7363, which indicates that 73.63% of the total varia-
MP×MP 0.00 0.000545 tions were explained by the model. The adjusted R2 is a statistic that
Note: S ¼ 0.0270484; R2 ¼ 73.63%; R2 ðAdj:Þ ¼ 73.63%; and R2 ðPred:Þ ¼ is adjusted for the size of the model, i.e., the number of factors. The
70.00%. value of the R2 ðAdj:Þ ¼ 0.7246 indicates that 72.46% of the total
variability was explained by the model after considering the signifi-
cant factors. The predicted, R2 ðPred:Þ ¼ 0.700, is in good agree-
ment with the R2 (Adj.) and shows that the model is expected to
affect the strength of concrete is almost unimaginable. But for differ- explain 70% of the variability in any new data.
ent samples, if the ratios of strengths are considered, many param- The relationship is given by Eq. (4)
eters affecting the actual values could be taken care of for predicting
the strength. The two main factors that are found to be predomi- CSms CSmp
nantly significant for compressive strength are the w/b ratio and the ¼ 0.9265 þ 0.0267ms − 0.0016ms2 þ 0.00002ms3
CSc CSc
percentage replacement of cement by marble powder. In addition,
for a particular w/b ratio, the percentage of cement that is replaced ¼ 0.99953 þ 0.01039mp − 0.000545mp2 ð4Þ
by marble powder is an important aspect for compressive strength.
According to Abrams’ law, compressive strength is inversely pro- where CSms and CSc = strengths of marble powder concrete and
portional to the w/b ratio of the mix; however, for use of marble control concrete, respectively; and ms = marble powder replace-
powder a different trend has been observed for which a relation is ment percentage. The equation was derived for all four water:
yet to be established. Because there is no specific relationship avail- binder ratios, i.e., 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, and 0.50, and the equation is
able, trials were conducted for achieving a best-fit model. A few valid for OPC Grade 43 with a C3 A content of 6%–10% according
authors have reported that replacement of cement by marble powder to IS 8112 (BIS 1989) and ASTM C150 (ASTM 2016c). Fig. 8
does not exhibit a linear relationship and there are different opti- shows the relation.
mum dosages for different w/c ratios, and the same was found for
the present case. From the trials, a quadratic-degree polynomial was Modified Water:Cement Law
found to fit the scattergram. Therefore, after performing regression Fig. 9 shows the compressive strength results. It is evident from the
analysis, the unknown parameters were determined. The validity of results that for all w/b ratios, the optimum percentage varies and is
the model was investigated by examining the relevant statistical co- dependent on the cement content of the mix. This is because marble
efficients (Bhattacharya and Johnson 1977). Table 7 shows the re- is found to have a filler effect on the mix; therefore, a minimum
sults of interaction of linear (constant and MP) and quadratic terms amount of cement is required to bind the aggregates together and

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 Table 8. Percentage variation in experimental and predicted values
Compressive strength
(MPa)
Marble
Water:cement powder Experimental Predicted Percentage
Researcher ratio used replacement values values variation
Aliabdo 0.4 0 47 — —
et al. 5 50 48.58 2.83
(2014) 7.5 52 49.00 5.76
10 52.5 49.11 6.47
15 47.5 48.35 −1.78
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Aliabdo 0.5 0 40 — —
et al. 5 43 41.35 3.84
(2014) 7.5 44 41.71 5.21
10 44.1 41.79 5.23
15 43.5 41.15 5.41
Arshad 0.45 0 31.27 — —
et al. 10 32.76 32.32 1.33
(2014) 15 33.12 32.67 1.36
20 33.14 32.17 2.94
Fig. 9. 28-day compressive strength and percent marble powder. 25 29.16 30.81 −5.66
Rana 0.38 0 50 — —
et al. 10 51.1 51.68 −1.14
(2015) 15 49 52.24 −6.61
provide the desirable strength. A similar observation was made by 20 48 51.43 −7.15
Singh et al. (2017e) and Aliabdo et al. (2014). 25 49 49.27 −0.54
The results obtained from the experimental procedure were used
to formulate a model relating w/b ratio and marble powder content
to the compressive strength of the mix. No such model has been
reported in the literature to date. For the present investigation, the
factors taken into account that affect the strength of concrete are
w/b ratio and marble powder content.
A new relation for compressive strength and w/b ratio is given
according to Eq. (5)
   
w ms
log CS ¼ a1 þ a2 þ a3 log CS
cm c
   
w mp
¼ a1 þ a2 þ a3 ð5Þ
cm c

where CS ¼ 28-day compressive strength; a1, a2, and a3 = con-

stants derived from linear regression; and w, cm, ms, and c = water, Fig. 10. Comparison between actual and predicted values of strength.
binder, marble powder, and cement content of the mix (kg=m3 ).
The results were analyzed statistically by the principle of least
squares and Eq. (6) was derived
it is found to have only a filler effect no efficiency factor is
  
w ms required.
log CS ¼ 2.292 − 1.903 − 0.161 log CS Marble may not be defined as an SCM in a perspective standard
cm c
    or specified as a stand-alone material because its reactivity would
w mp
¼ 2.292 − 1.903 − 0.161 ð6Þ depend on the cement clinker, i.e., depending on the aluminate con-
cm c tent in the cement. The already established SCMs such as fly ash
and GGBS are not that dependent on the source of clinker because
The value of the correlation coefficient was 0.941. The standard of their capability to react with calcium hydroxide, thus making it
error was 0.029 at the 95% confidence interval. The equation was difficult to specify the performance requirements such as the activ-
derived for all four water binder ratios, i.e., 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, and ity index or efficient factor for marble powder additions in concrete.
0.50, and the equation is valid for OPC Grade 43 with a C3 A con- If marble powder is too coarse, it will primary act as an interfiller,
tent of 8%–10% according to IS 8112 (BIS 1989) For pozzolanic and if it is too fine it might improve workability but will have no
materials, because they actively engage in the hydration process, impact on the hydration reactions. Therefore, it should be suffi-
generally a cementing efficiency factor is calculated to properly ciently fine so that it reacts to improve hydration and also fill voids.
estimate the extent of contribution of the material. The efficiency This can also be expressed in exponential form as shown
factor (k-value) is defined as the part of the supplementary cemen- in Eq. (7)
titious material (SCM) in an SCM concrete that can be considered
as equivalent to portland cement. However, for marble powder, 195.434
CS ¼ ð7Þ
even though optimum dosages are influenced by w/b ratios, because 79.43β

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 Table 9. Effect and recommendations for use of waste marble powder in concrete
Property Effect of marble powder
Fresh concrete Slump reduces with percentage increase on addition of
marble powder partially replacing cement by weight
Set time The initial setting time increases as the marble powder
content increases from zero to 25%; this is good for
proper setting of concrete
Heat of hydration The degree of hydration increased on addition of
marble powder
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Guidance
Slump can be maintained by using superplaticizer for
lower w/b ratios, but for up to 15% replacement in case
of higher w/b ratios it is not necessary
Consider reducing level of marble powder to 5%–7.5%
especially in cold regions or regions where setting of
concrete is a major issue
Preferably not to be used if temperature control is
critical, otherwise adopt measures to reduce temperature

such as reduction of cement content or lowering the

Strength
Superplasticizer
Particle size
CaO content
w/c law
Nondestructive tests
Permeability and chloride
resistance
Expansion due to alkali silica
reaction (ASR)
Resistance to carbonation
Abrasion resistance
Reinforced concrete
Note: MP = marble powder.
Marble powder incorporated in concrete shows
increase in mechanical properties at 15% replacement
by weight of cement for lower w/b ratios 0.35 and 0.40,
and for w/b ratio 0.45 the strength increases only up to
10% replacement
With the simultaneous increase in dosage of plasticizer
and marble powder, better magnitude of strength is
observed as compared to constant dosage, which is
because of the compactive power of admixture;
however, a similar trend was observed for the both
cases (Singh et al. 2017e)
No significant effect of particle size of marble dust on
compressive strength of concrete is observed
Mineralogical composition of marble powder has been
found to affect the properties of concrete when used as
a partial replacement of cement
w/c law would change incorporating the use of waste
marble powder as partial replacement of cement
The use of marble powder as partial replacement of
cement by weight did not have a very significant effect
on the value of the ultrasonic pulse velocity; overall
velocity values observed were in the good or excellent
category range, which shows that concrete quality is
not affected on addition of marble powder (Aliabdo
et al. 2014; Singh et al. 2017e)
The property was found to improve with increase in
percentage-level replacements of cement by marble
powder for up to 15%; maximum values obtained were
for 15% replacement, which is 41.56 kΩ-cm, and the
least was for 25% replacement level (Rana et al. 2015;
Singh et al. 2017e)
Mortar bar expansion reduced after replacing cement
with MP; specimens incorporating MP showed no
signs of ASR cracking; amount of alkalis also reduced
after replacing cement with MP, leading to reducing
ASR expansion (Munir et al. 2017)
Mixes with marble dust showed less resistance to
carbonation as compared to the control mix
The abrasion loss, i.e., the percentage reduction in
mass of the tested cube, increases with increase in
replacement levels (Singh et al. 2017b)
Higher flexural strength in reinforced beams with
15% marble powder and improved bond strength
(Singh et al. 2017e)
concrete placing temperature
Use replacement percentages depending on strength
requirements; the percentages can be found using Eq. (4)
Artificial neural network model has been devised by
Singh et al. (2017e)
The entire raw material passing through 300-μm sieve
showed good results and can be used as a reference PSD
for marble powder (Singh et al. 2017e)
Şahan Arel (2016) formulated the relationship between
cement replaced with marble and the percentages of
SiO2 , CaO, and Al2 O3 in the marble
Eq. (7) has been devised in this paper accordingly
Equations have been given by Aliabdo et al. (2014) and
Singh et al. (2017e)
15% replacement of marble powder by cement can be
adequately used in areas where there are chances of
water or chloride ingress; adequate curing is essential to
achieve maximum benefits; for porosity, equation has
been devised by Aliabdo et al. (2014)
Marble powder can be safely used according to strength
requirements in the areas even when activated aggregates
are being used; proper testing of aggregates should be
done before using
The increase in the carbonation depth in unreinforced
concrete is not as harmful as in reinforced concrete
because the presence of calcium carbonate in carbonated
concrete replaces calcium hydroxide, occupying 11%
more volume, thereby decreasing the porosity of
concrete and improving it mechanical properties such as
compressive strength, flexural strength, and modulus of
elasticity (Chi et al. 2002; Claisse et al. 1999; Sanjuan
et al. 2003); for up to 10% replacement, the carbonation
depth was not very high and hence could be used safely;
ensure cover requirements are met properly
The abrasion loss is within the permissible limit of 0.4%
as per Appendix A of (BIS 2003) and it provides broad
guidelines only, hence 0.41% loss observed in 25%
replacement level (28 days) can be assumed fairly per-
missible
Can be used in reinforced concrete for up to 15%
replacement in beams and columns

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(4): 04019011

 where
w ms w ms
β¼ þ 0.085 β¼ þ 0.085 β dependent only on strength ratios.
c þ ms c c þ ms c
w MP
¼ þ 0.085
c þ MP c the other parameters are kept more or less the same over a wide
Checking the Validity of Models with Results of Other
Researchers
To verify the prediction equation, which was proposed to be unaf-
fected by the type of specimen, results of strength obtained by a
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few researchers on different w/b ratios were considered. Almost
all the researchers used 150-mm cubes; therefore, only those results
could be verified for the present study. Comparison between pre-
dicted results by the model and experimental results by Aliabdo
et al. (2014), Arshad et al. (2014), and Rana et al. (2015) are shown
in Table 8. A maximum variation of 7.15% was observed. Fig. 10
shows the relation of variation between actual and predicted values.
Rodrigues et al. (2015) and Aliabdo et al. (2014) determined the
compressive strength of marble powder concrete on 150-mm cubes
at w/b ratios of 0.4 and 0.5, respectively, and different percentage
replacement of 5%, 10%, and 15%. The strength predictions as per
Eq. (6) showed a maximum variation of around 9.5%.
Conclusions and Recommendations
1. The main aim of the project was gainful utilization of waste ma-
terial and reduction of cement content in production concrete.
Cement is one of the main emitters of CO2 globally. Therefore,
reduction in cement content in concrete would result in reduc-
tion of CO2 emission. Cement reductions show a decrease in
CO2 emissions by 5.2% from 510.92 to 475.92 kg=m3 on re-
placing 10% cement by marble powder, thus having a signifi-
cant effect on the global construction industry.
2. Improved hydration, better particle packing, and higher strength
are additional advantages that would help in promoting use of
marble powder as a partial replacement of cement in concrete.
3. A substantial amount of experiments were conducted to study
the effect of marble powder on compressive strength of concrete
for varying w/b ratios from 0.35 to 0.5 and different replacement
percentages. With the use of regression analysis, a model was
developed for prediction of compressive strength of marble
powder incorporated in concrete, which would be independent
of the shape or type of specimens, i.e., based on the strength
ratios. The model has been duly verified by applying the results
of other researchers as available in the literature. The values fit
within the error bars of the model. The maximum variation was
found to be 7.15%, which was for 20% or 25% replacement.
Others fit approximately 4%–5% of the data well.
4. As discussed initially, the conventional Abrams’ law does not
hold for building relationships for concrete blended with some
other cement replacement materials such as marble powder.
Therefore, a new and modified equation has been developed
specifically for use of marble powder in concrete. An efficiency
factor needs not be incorporated in the equation because it acts
as filler material in concrete. This would help in predicting
the compressive strength of concrete based on w/c ratio and the
content of marble powder. The model would serve as a useful
tool for proportioning of mixes to attain a desired compressive
strength with use of marble powder.
5. Both the models have a different purpose. They cannot be com-
pared to each other.
6. The first model has been developed for predicting the compres-
sive strengths of marble powder concretes over a wide range of
© ASCE 04019011-11
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2019, 31(4): 04019011
percentage replacements and w/c ratios ranging from 0.35 to
0.5. This model is independent of specimen parameters and
7. The second model is based on 28-day strength of 150-mm
cubes finding the effect of marble powder on concrete when all
range of percentage replacement and w/b ratios. This would
find useful applications for assessing the influence of w/b ratio
and marble powder content on compressive strength of marble
powder concrete.
8. The proposed set of guidelines would help other authors in
utilizing marble powder according to their requirements.
After a detailed literature review by Singh et al. (2017a) and
experimental studies in Singh et al. (2017b, e), a set of guidelines
for the use of marble powder in concrete as a partial replacement of
cement are proposed in Table 9.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology,
New Delhi, for the project SB/S3/CEE/0033/2013 titled “Potential
of marble slurry as a mineral admixture in concrete.”
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