Marble powder material (MP) is a very fine powder, obtained as a by-product of marble during the sawing and the shaping, and not recycling it due to environmental problems in the world.The possibility of using it and silica fume (S.F) separately as partial replacement of cement on mortar were studied and evaluated based upon the percentage of the partial cement replacement with both marble powder and silica fume separately. Four types of mortar mixture with same workability, cement to sand ratio of 1:3 and water to cementitious materials ratio of 0.4 were prepared marble powder and silica fume used in mixes separately, once as a partial replacement of cement content and another as an addition to the mix proportion. Replacement and addition ratio of both marble powder and silica fume with cement content separately at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30% and 50% by weight were investigated. The mechanical properties of mortar were measured in terms of compressive strength at 7 and 28 days and it was observed that the strength developments at 7, and 28 days and the highest development rate of compressive strength was observed at 15% replacement ratio for each the marble powder and silica fume separately. Results showed that the compressive strength increased by 31.4%, 48.3% at 7, and 28 days respectively at 15% replacement ratio of silica fume with cement content and in case of replacement marble powder with cement content the compressive strength increased by 22.7%, 27.8% at 7, and 28 days at 15% replacement ratio of marble powder with cement content respectively.
mortar, marble powder, silica fume, compressive strength
