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Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research Vol. 10, No. 5, 2020, 6344-6348 6344 
 

www.etasr.com Shaaban: The Effects of Marble Dust on the Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Shotcrete  

 

The Effects of Marble Dust on the Rheological and 
Mechanical Properties of Shotcrete  

 

Mostafa Shaaban 
Civil Engineering Department 

Giza Higher Institute for Engineering and Technology 
Giza, Egypt 

mostafa.shaaban@gei.edu.eg  
 

 

Abstract−Recycling industrial waste materials has become an 

environmental and economic necessity. The utilization of these 

materials to develop concrete contributes not only to their 

disposal, but also to the preservation of the environment. This 

study attempted to evaluate the properties of sprayed concrete 

with Marble Dust (MD) as partial replacement of concrete 
components. For this purpose two series of concrete mixtures 

were prepared: the first series included six mixtures containing 

MD as cement replacement with percentages of 5%, 10%, 15%, 

20%, 25%, and 30% by weight, the second series included six 

mixtures containing 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30% of MD 

as replacement for sand. Also, conventional concrete mixture 

with 100% cement and 100% sand was produced as control 

mixture. Rheological and mechanical properties as pumpability, 

build-up thickness, rebound percentage, adhesion strength, and 

compressive and tensile strength were studied. In general, the 

results indicate that use of MD improves shotcreting as an 
application and shotcrete’s performance. 

Keywords-sprayed concrete; marble dust; spraybility; strength; 

rebound ratio; shotcrete 

I. INTRODUCTION  

Shotcrete, also referred to as sprayed concrete or spraycrete, 
is defined as concrete shooted through a hose at high velocity 
and pneumatically projected onto a surface [1] or as concrete 
produced with basic mix and projected pneumatically from 
nozzle into place to produce a dense homogeneous layer [2]. 
EFNARC defines it as a concrete mix projected pneumatically 
into a surface to produce a homogeneous and dense mass [3]. 
This concrete is used for repairs of concrete buildings, 
underground concrete reservoirs, lining of tunnels, and rapid 
concrete construction. In order to produce shotcrete, two steps 
have to be carried out: the fresh concrete must first be pumped, 
and then shot, so the ideal shotcrete mix should have suitable 
pumpability, and sprayability, in addition to proper strength. 
Pumpability (i.e. the mobility and stability of concrete under 
pressure) is measured by standard tests such as the slump test. 
It is recommended that concrete should possess slump higher 
than 50mm [4]. Sprayability incorporates parameters such as 
the ability of shotcrete to stick to itself (cohesion) without 
segregation, to adhere to a surface (adhesion), and to be build-
up in thick sections and concrete ricochets off the impacted 
surface (rebound). When concerning strength, shotcrete should 

have a compressive strength higher than 30MPa, whereas, for 
permanent tunnel lining, a compressive strength of at least 
40MPa is required [5]. Shotcrete should have bond or adhesion 
strength of 0.5 to 1.0MPa [3] in order to stick to the sprayed 
surface. Marble Dust (MD) is a solid waste material generated 
from marble processing and can be used as a cement or fine 
aggregate replacement material in concrete admixures. Authors 
in [6, 7] studied the effect of sand replacement with different 
levels of MD on concrete properties. They observed that the 
replacement of sand with 15% MD results in compressive 
strength increment. Authors in [8] examined the concrete 
properties containing 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of MD as cement 
substitution. Attractive outcomes were achieved for 
substitution proportions of up to 10%. Authors in [9] reported 
that the replacement cement by MD in a percentage up to 5% 
could be secure, without unfavorable impact on the bond 
properties of cement in concrete. Authors in [10] reported that 
concrete mechanical properties rise with 15% MD substitution. 
Authors in [11] investigated the properties of fresh and 
hardened concrete containing 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% of tile and 
marble powders. The results indicate that using 2.5% marble 
powder +2.5% tile powder led to increase the compressive and 
tensile strengths by 8.9% and 8.3% respectively. Authors in 
[12] studied the effects of sand replacement with 0%, 25%, 
50%, 75%, and 100% of MP on the mechanical properties of 
concrete. They reported that substituting sand with 50% MP 
increased the compressive and flexural strengths by 13.52% 
and 35.54% respectively. 

Although many studies have examined the utilization of 
MD as a replacement material for sand or cement, however 
none focused on the effects of MD on the rheological and 
mechanical properties of shotcrete, properties as pumpability, 
build-up thickness, rebound percentage compressive strength, 
tensile strength, and adhesion or bond strength. So, this study 
aims to study the MD effects on the aforementioned properties 
of fresh and hardened shotcrete. 

II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 

A. Materials Used  

Natural dolomite with 2.65 specific gravity and 10mm 
nominal size was used as coarse aggregate in all concrete 
mixtures, while natural sand was used as fine aggregate. The 

Corresponding author: Mostafa Shaaban



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www.etasr.com Shaaban: The Effects of Marble Dust on the Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Shotcrete  

 

fine and coarse aggregates satisfied the ASTM C33/C33-M 
[13] specifications. CEMI-42.5N Ordinary Portland cement 
complying with ASTM C150/C150-M [14] was used in all 
mixtures with different proportions. Locally available MD with 
a specific gravity of 2.27 and particle size finer than 80µm 
which was prepared according to [15] was used as cement 
replacement, while MD with particle size ranging between 
0.075 to 2mm (Figure 1) was used as sand replacement, in six 
mixtures with percentages of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 
30% for each case. Potable water complying with ASTM 
C1602/C1602M-18 [16] was used in concrete mixing and 
curing. ViscoCrete SC that meets ASTM C494 Type F [17] 
was used as a superplasticizer in 1% percentage. 

 

 
Fig. 1.  Particle size distribution for coarse and fine aggregates. 

B. Mixing and Specimen Preparation 

The material proportions were estimated based on ACI 
506.4R-94 [18]. The quantities of concrete ingredients are given 
in Table I. The materials were mixed in an electric mixer, then 
concrete specimens were prepared for testing the hardened 
properties as follows: Plywood molds of 1000mm×1000mm 
were used. The molds were positioned vertically, and fresh 
concrete was sprayed in 150mm thickness under the same 
conditions. The samples were cured until extraction. The tests of 
compressive strength were conducted according to [19] on 
drilled cores taken from the prepared test panel. The samples’ 
diameter was at least 50mm and the height/diameter ratio 
ranged between 1.0 to 2.0. The samples required to perform 
tensile and adhesion tests were cored in accordance with [20]. 

TABLE I.  CONCRETE MIX PROPORTIONS (Kg/m3) 

Replacem.% OPC MD Water C. Agg. 
F. Agg. 

HRWR 
Sand MD 

Control mix (0% MD) 

0% 400 0 160 1080 600 0 4 
Replacement of cement with MD 

5% 380 20 160 1080 600 0 4 
10% 360 40 160 1080 600 0 4 
15% 340 60 160 1080 600 0 4 
20% 320 80 160 1080 600 0 4 
25% 300 100 160 1080 600 0 4 
30% 280 120 160 1080 600 0 4 

Replacement of sand with MD 

5% 400 0 160 1080 570 30 4 
10% 400 0 160 1080 540 60 4 
15% 400 0 160 1080 510 90 4 
20% 400 0 160 1080 480 120 4 
25% 400 0 160 1080 450 150 4 
30% 400 0 160 1080 420 180 4 

C. Testing Procedure 

1) Rheological Properties 

The rheological properties or flow properties of shotcrete 
such as pumpability (i.e. mobility and stability under pressure), 
build-up thickness, and rebound percentage were measured 
according to the corresponding standards as illustrated below. 

• Pumpability: This characteristic was measured by the slump 
test. The slump test was conducted according to ASTM 
C143 [21] and the test results were compared with the 
recommendations of ACI 304.2R-17 [4]. 

• Build-up thickness: To measure build-up thickness, the test 
procedure presented in JSCE-F 563-2005 [22] was 
followed. 

• Rebound percentage: To measure rebound percentage, the 
test procedure of JSCE-F 563-2005 [22] was followed. 

2) Mechanical Properties 

• Compressive and tensile strength tests were conducted 
according to ASTM C 1604/C1604M [23] at 7 and 28 days. 

• The adhesion strength test was performed according to 
ASTM C882 [24] at 28 days. 

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 

A. Slump 

The influence of MD on concrete slump at different 
replacement percentages is shown in Figure 2. In general, the 
value of slump decreases as the MD level increases whether it is 
used as a replacement to cement or sand. The results indicate 
that the slump of mixtures containing MD as a replacement for 
cement is less than that of the 0% MD mixture. This decrease in 
slump value is caused by the reduced flowability due to the 
increase of the concrete viscosity resulting from the use of MD 
[25]. Also, the results in Figure 2 show that the use of MD as a 
sand replacement results in a decrease of slump up to 40%, in 
comparison with the control mixture. This behavior may be 
related to the fineness of MD which is higher than that of 
cement. As the particle fineness increases, the concrete water 
demand increases and consequently reduces concrete slump. 
Studies have shown that the slump of the concrete mixtures is 
negatively influenced by the MD substitution and this effect 
occurs at greater substitution levels (beyond 15%) [26]. 

 

 
Fig. 2.  Slump values of concrete mixtures. 



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B. Build-Up Thickness 

Figure 3 shows the variation in the build-up thickness of 
concrete mixtures comparing to the build-up thickness of the 
control mix. The results indicate that the use of MD as a cement 
replacement material results in a slightly decrease of the build-
up thickness ranging between 1.3% and 4.59%, with the 
maximum increase obtained for 30% MD. Also, Figure 3 
indicates that the mixtures containing MD as a sand replacement 
have values of build-up thickness higher than the build-up 
thickness of the control mixt, due to that MD particles are finer 
than sand particles and the cohesive nature of MD is higher than 
sand’s [27].  

 

 
Fig. 3.  Build-up thickness of concrete mixtures. 

C. Rebound Percentage 

Figure 4 presents the results obtained for different mixtures 
shot under the same conditions (spray distance and angle). 
Increase of the rebound percentage due to the replacement of 
cement were observed, while mixtures containing MD as sand 
replacement had rebound percentages lower than that of the 
control mix. These results can be explained by the role that 
cohesion plays in rebound reduction. The MD is more cohesive 
than natural sand, so consequently, increasing MD against the 
percentage of sand results in a lower rebound amount [27]. 

 

 
Fig. 4.  Rebound percentage of concrete mixtures. 

D. Adhesion Strength 

Figure 5 shows the results of the adhesion strength test for 
all mixtures at the age of 28 days. The results clarify that 
replacement of cement with MD causes decrease in the 

adhesion strength. On the other hand, the use of MD as sand 
replacement led to adhesion strength increase. For the same 
MD replacement levels, the decrease of adhesion strength in 
the case of cement replacement is higher than the obtained 
increase in the case of sand replacement.  

 

 
Fig. 5.  Adhesion strength of concrete mixtures at 28 days. 

E. Compressive Strength 

Figure 6 demonstrates the effect of MD as cement or sand 
replacement on 7- and 28-day compressive strength tests. At 
the age of 7 days, the mixtures containing MD as cement 
replacement at all replacement levels exhibit decreased 
compressive strength in comparison with the control mix (0% 
MD) with percentages ranging between 5.4% for 5% MD and 
23.4% for 30% MD. The results at the age of 28 days follow 
the same behavior but with smaller decrease, ranging between 
4.9% for replacement level of 5% MD and 23% for 30% MD. 
It is noticeable that the replacement of cement with MD led to a 
decrease in compressive strength. This decrease occurs because 
MD does not have pozzolanic properties [28-30]. The obtained 
test results at the age of 7 days of mixtures containing MD as 
sand replacement show increased compressive strength in 
comparison with the control mix (0% MD). Also, the results at 
28 days indicate that the mixtures with MD as sand 
replacement have increased compressive strength. In general, it 
can be reported that the partial replacement of sand with MD 
causes a significant rise in compressive strength, a result of the 
filler effect of MD. This result is agreement with the findings in 
[26, 31]. 

 

 
Fig. 6.  Compressive strength at 7 and 28 days. 

0%      5%      10%     15%      20%      25%    30% 

0%       5%     10%     15%     20%     25%     30% 

0%       5%       10%      15%      20%    25%    30% 

0%       5%      10%      15%      20%     25%     30% 



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F. Tensile Strength 

Figure 7 shows the results of tensile strength tests of all 
concrete mixes at 7 and 28 days. Tensile strength at 7 days 
clarifies that the use of MD as cement replacement causes a 
decrease in tensile strength ranging between 11.3% and 29.3%. 
The results of 28 days indicate that the use of MD as a cement 
replacement results in decrease of the tensile strength between 
4.8% and 23%. The results at the age of 7 days show that the 
strength of concrete mixtures with MD as sand replacement is 
higher increases by 7.2%-45%. At 28 days, the tensile strength 
increases by 11%-37.2%. 

 

 
Fig. 7.  Tensile strength at 7 and 28 days. 

IV. CONCLUSIONS 

Based on the experimental results, the next conclusions can 
be drawn:  

• Concrete mixtures containing MD as cement or sand 
replacement with percentages from 5% to 30% have slump 
values lower than the control mixture (0% MD), but still 
higher than 50mm, which means that these mixtures fulfill 
the shotcrete requirements reported in [4]. 

• The use of MD as sand replacement with a percentage of 
5% up to 30% has a positive effect on the rebound 
percentage of shotcrete. All mixtures have rebound 
percentages less than the control mix, while using MD as 
cement replacement at any percentage led to a slight 
increase of the rebound percentage. 

• All concrete mixtures with 5% to 30% MD as cement 
replacement have build-up thickness less than the build-up 
thickness of the control mix (370mm). Mixtures with MD 
as sand replacement have build-up thickness higher than the 
build-up thickness of the control mix. 

• The compressive strength of the mixtures containing MD as 
cement replacement at the age of 28 days is less than that of 
the control mix but still higher than 30MPa (with the 
exclusion of 30% replacement) which meets the shotcrete 
requirements [5]. All mixtures containing MD as sand 
replacement have compressive strength higher than that of 
the control mix and more than 40MPa so these mixtures are 

suitable for permanent tunnel lining, where compressive 
strength of at least 40MPa is required [5]. 

• The adhesion strength of mixtures containing MD as sand 
replacement is higher than the adhesion strength of the 
control mixture, while the adhesion strength of mixtures 
containing MD as cement replacement is less than that of 
the control mixture. 

Concluding, a mixture containing 5% MD as cement 
replacement appears to be most suitable to be used as shotcrete. 

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