Study on the Effect of Marble Dust as Partial Replacement to Cement with Steel Fibre in Concrete

Abstract

The most versatile and widely used construction material is concrete. The yearly production of around 4.4 billion tons at global level demonstrates growing demand for the material. One of the main components used in concrete as a binding agent is cement. It contributes to around 8% of the world's CO₂ emissions, which significantly harm the environment in a number of ways. On the other hand, due to the country’s rapid urbanisation, cement consumption in India is expected to rise significantly. A powder called marble dust is produced as a by-product of the marble industry. About 25% of the marble's real mass is lost as dust throughout the fabrication process. It may be best to swap marble dust for other materials in cementitious binders. More than 50% of lime is present, which improves the reaction efficiency. In the current investigation, marble dust was employed as a partial substitute for the cement-based binder material in concrete at increasing weight percentages of 10, 20 and 30%. The ideal replacement for marble dust was discovered. Optimal marble dust concrete was mixed with steel fibre at various concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 1.5%. At 7 and 28 days, the specimens' mechanical strength under compression, tension, and flexure was evaluated, with the outcomes being compared to the control concrete. According to this study, concrete produces superior outcomes when 10% marble dust is substituted for cement and 1.5% steel fibre is added.