Compressive Strength Improvement of Concrete Incorporating Recycled Marble Aggregates: Case Study of Herat City

Abstract

The research analyzes the mechanical performance of concrete by integrating recycled marble aggregates from Herat City, Afghanistan, into concrete components while focusing on the enhancement of compressive strength of concrete. Specific standard laboratory tests are applied to the normal and marble aggregates, including Aggregate Impact Value (AIV), bulk density, specific gravity (SG), water absorption, and fine modulus, which are conducted in accordance with the ACI code to evaluate their physical properties. Nine different concrete mix designs are designed with different combinations of marble as fine and coarse aggregates, along with normal aggregates, to evaluate their compressive strength. The compressive strength of samples is tested at 7, 14, and 28 standard days.  The results show that while marble concrete cylinders generally show lower performance than normal samples, the combination sample in which marble is used as coarse aggregate and normal aggregate is used as fine aggregate can significantly enhance the compressive strength of concrete. Overall, the findings indicate that coarse marble aggregate can be used for sustainable construction while maintaining acceptable structural performance.