Mechanical performance of concrete with incorporation of coarse waste from the marble industry

Abstract

The waste resulting from marble extraction process is usually disposed of in landfills or dumps and its accumulation is causing serious environmental and landscaping problems. One way of reusing marble waste is to consider its incorporation in structural concrete as a non-primary aggregate. This research work attempts to alleviate the situation and provide information on the mechanical performance of concrete as a function of the replacement ratio of primary aggregates (PA) with coarse waste marble aggregates (CMA). Three concrete families, including reference concrete (RC) mixes, were studied that were made with primary aggregates of basalt (BCA), limestone (LCA) and granite (GCA) (these are the main sources of primary aggregates in the southern and central parts of Portugal), and concrete mixes with replacement ratios of 20%, 50% and 100% of PA by CMA. To evaluate their quality and mechanical performance mixes were tested for: slump (in the Abrams cone test), specific density, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, Young's modulus of elasticity and resistance to abrasion. The results suggest a tendency for the values of all mechanical properties to decline. However, this tendency is clearly weaker than those observed for the majority of the research involving other types of non-primary recycled aggregates, which are already used in certain proportions in structural concrete, according to the limits imposed by the standards and specifications. The mechanical properties of concrete made with CMA were assessed within the scope of concurrent work also undertaken at Instituto Superior Técnico (Lisbon, Portugal), concerning the durability-related materials of the same type of concrete.

Transforming Marble Waste into High-Performance, Water-Resistant, and Thermally Insulative Hybrid Polymer Composites for Environmental Sustainability

“…Researchers have attempted to use marble waste particulates in paver blocks [ 19 ], soil stabilization [ 11 , 20 ], cement-based adhesive mortar [ 21 ], and as a replacement of conventional natural aggregates in concrete [ 4 , 8 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Attempts have also been made to use marble waste for manufacturing cementitious roofing tiles [ 26 ], preparing polymer concrete with unsaturated pre-accelerated polyester resin [ 27 ], a cement-based composite material with expanded perlite and tragacanth (plant resin) [ 28 ], composite bricks [ 2 , 6 , 29 ], artificial stones, unsaturated polyester resin, and epoxy resin as binders [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Advantages and shortcomings of the utilization of recycled wastes as aggregates in structural concretes

“…The research, however, is not unanimous in relation to the effects of the aggregate replacement in compressive and splitting tensile strength and definite conclusions cannot be drawn. Additionally, [25] also observed that the elasticity modulus is slightly impacted (more on limestone and basalt and less in granite concretes) by the marble waste addition. As to durability concerns, [24] states that, despite the fact that water absorption by immersion does not appear to display significant changes with the rise in marble content, absorption by capillarity decreased.…”

“…This fragility can lead to the lower durability of concretes possessing these wastes. Regarding the workability of the concretes, the literature suggests that this property is not negatively influenced by the coarse aggregate replacement and may even be improved by this practice [24,25]. The research, however, is not unanimous in relation to the effects of the aggregate replacement in compressive and splitting tensile strength and definite conclusions cannot be drawn.…”

“…The properties of coarse marble aggregates are very similar to those of other natural coarse aggregates and, although the crushing process can also influence the final shape of the particles, the qualities of this waste are highly reflective of those of the original rock. Nevertheless, [24][25][26] demonstrate that coarse waste marble aggregates possess a lower resistance to abrasion than basalt, granite or limestone aggregates. This fragility can lead to the lower durability of concretes possessing these wastes.…”

Durability of concrete using marble mining waste

“…The compressive strength of the concrete mixes increased by 35% and 26%, respectively at 80% and 100% replacement level of conventional coarse aggregate. Martins et al (2014) reported that, coarse aggregate from marble waste can be used as a partial replacement for conventional coarse aggregate to improve the mechanical properties of concrete. They also reported that, the workability of all concrete mixes increased by 4.16%, 2.08%, 9.34% and density marginally decreased by 0.28%, 1.49% and 4.21% at 20%, 50% and 100% replacement level respectively.…”