BOARD OF ADVANCED STUDIES AND RESEARCH

CECOS UNIVERSITY OF IT & EMERGING SCIENCES

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR MSc DEGREE PROGRAMME

Contact Number: 0313-9493043 CGPA: 3.50

(Note: CGPA must be 2.5 or greater, otherwise not eligible for thesis and award of MS Degree.
Student is responsible for confirming his CGPA from controller section if not known to him.
In case of quoting wrong CGPA, thesis fee will be not refunded, nor will MS Degree be
awarded).

Signature of student: ...............................

1. Name and ID of student: Fawad Ahmad, CU-878-2014

2. Department: Civil Engineering Department

3. Date of Registration in the MSc Degree Program: Fall 2014

4. Major Area of Study: Structural Engineering

5. Courses Studied:

1. Advanced Steel Structures

2. Advance Structural Analysis
3. Dam Engineering - 1
4. Reinforced Concrete Design
5. Research Methodology
6. Foundation Engineering
7. Concrete and Supplementary Cementitious Material
8. Structural Dynamics

6. Summary of research proposal

(i) Research Topic:

Use of Marble Dust In Place of Fine Aggregate in Concrete Mix

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(ii) Introduction/ Problem Statement:

Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from the transformation of a pure limestone. The
purity of the marble is responsible for its color and appearance: it is white if the limestone
is composed solely of calcite (100% CaCO). Marble is used for construction and
decoration; marble is durable, has a noble appearance, and is consequently in great demand.
Chemically, marbles are crystalline rocks composed predominantly of calcite, dolomite or
serpentine minerals. The other mineral constituents vary from origin to origin. Quartz,
muscovite, tremolite, actinolite, micro line, talc, garnet, osterite and biotite are the major
mineral impurities whereas SiO3, manganese, 3H2O and FeS (pyrite) are the major
chemical impurities associated with marble. The main impurities in raw limestone (for
cement) which can affect the properties of finished cement are magnesia, phosphate, leads,
zinc, alkalis and sulfides. A large quantity of powder is generated during the cutting
process. The result is that the mass of marble waste which is 20% of total marble quarried
has reached as high as millions of tons. Leaving these waste materials to the environment
directly can cause environmental problem.
The advancement of concrete technology can reduce the consumption of natural resources
and energy sources which in turn further lessen the burden of pollutants on the environment.
Presently, large amount of marble dust are generated in natural stone processing plants with
an important impact on the environment and humans. (Vaidevi, 2013)
Marble has been commonly used as a building material since the ancient times. The
industry’s disposal of the marble powder material, consisting of very fine powder, today
constitutes one of the environmental problems around the world (Corinaldesi et al., 2010)
Marble blocks are cut into smaller blocks in order to give them the desired smooth shape.
During the cutting process about 25% the original marble mass is lost in the form of dust.
In Turkey marble dust is settled by sedimentation and then dumped away which results in
environmental pollution, in addition to forming dust in summer and threatening both
agriculture and public health. Therefore, utilization of the marble dust in various industrial
sectors especially the construction, agriculture, glass and paper industries would help to
protect the environment (Karasahin & Terzi, 2007).
Marble dust can be used either to produce new products or as an admixture so that the
natural sources are used more efficiently and the environment is saved from dumpsites of
marble waste (Hameed & Sekar, 2009).

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Marble as a building material especially in palaces and monuments has been in use for ages.
However the use is limited as stone bricks in wall or arches or as lining slabs in walls, roofs
or floors, leaving its wastage at quarry or at the sizing industry generally unattended for use
in the building industry itself as filler or plasticizer in mortar or concrete. The result is that
the mass which is 40% of the total marble quarried has reached as high as millions of tons.
This huge unattended mass of marble waste consisting of very fine particales is today one
of the environmental problems around the world. (Corinaldesi et al., 2010).
Since block manufacturing mixtures containing the Marble Sludge Powder (MSP) have
significantly higher compression strength and low water absorption, the block mixtures
containing MSP are recommended for construction in all its forms in that the best target
market for absorbing and consuming such products is the construction sector. MSP
incorporation had a positive effect on density, shrinkage and plasticity during all stages of
the production process, anticipating some modifications in the industrial production line.
(Aukour, 2009).
The advancement of concrete technology can reduce the consumption of natural resources
and energy sources which in turn further lessen the burden of pollutants on the environment.
Presently, large amount of marble dust are generated in natural stone processing plants with
an important impact on the environment and humans. (Vaidevi C, 2013).

One of the logical means for reduction of the waste marble masses calls for utilizing them
in building industry itself. Some attempts have been made to find and assess the
possibilities of using waste marble powder in mortars and concretes and results about
strength and workability were compared with control samples of conventional cements and
mortar/concrete.

All over the world due to advancement of technologies the amount and different type of
waste is generated which lead to the crisis of waste disposal. To overcome these crises the
waste material should be reuse by recycling it. Recycling is a process by which we can
convert the waste materials into a new product. In the construction infrastructure areas, due
to the advance development the use of marble has getting more and more severe.

It is found that marble dust concrete has higher compressive strength than that of the
corresponding lime stone- dust concrete having equal w/c and mix proportion. The marble
dust concrete would probably have lower water permeability than the lime stone concrete.
(Hanifi Binici et al, 2007).

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 (iii)Objectives:
The main objectives of this research project are:
a) To determine the mechanical properties of marble concrete.
b) To show the cost difference between ordinary concrete and marble
concrete.
(iv) Methodology:
The research work is composed of experimental work in which concrete will be tested
in which marble dust will be replaced as fine aggregate.
The methodology to achieve the above mentioned research objectives will include the
following steps:
a) Collection and study of literature:
The relevant literature of Marble concrete will be collected from manuals,
books, research papers and via internet. This literature will help in
understanding and explaining the performance and properties Marble concrete.
b) Lab Activities:
Marble Dust is locally available in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and will be obtained
from the local sources.
Different types of lab tests will be carried out. These tests are

Material Test:

 Specific Gravity
 Sieve Anaylsis

Fresh State:

 Slump Test

Hardened State:

 Compression Strength of Concrete.

 Split Tensile Strength.
 Flexural Strength.
 Rebound Hammar

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 c) Compilation of results:
 The data results will be presented in the form of tables, data sheets and
graphs.
 Data will be summarized and compiled in order to find the final results
 After data collection, compilation and performance of marble Concrete
will be concluded in the discussion section.

7. References:

Vaidevi C. 2013. Study on marble dust as partial replacement of cement in concrete,

Indian journal of engineering, 4(9), 14-16.

Corinaldesi V, Moriconi G, & Naik TR. 2010. Characterization of marble powder for
its use in mortar and concrete. Const. Build. Mat., 24:113-117.

Karasahin M, and Terzi S. 2007. Evaluation of marble dust in the mixture of asphaltic
concrete. Const. Build. Mat., 21(3): 616-620

Hameed MS, and Sekar ASS. 2009. Properties of green concrete containing quarry rock
dust and marble sludge powder as fine aggregate. ARPN J. Eng. Appl. Sci., 4(4): 83-8.

Hanifi, Binici, Hasan, Kaplan, and Salih Yilmaz

2007. Influence of marble and limestone dusts as additives on some mechanica
l properties of concrete , Scientific Research and Essay, 2(9), pp 372-379.

F. J. Aukour. 2009. Feasibility study of manufacturing concrete eco-blocks using

marble sludge powder as raw materials, Sustainable Development and Planning IV,
Vol. 2 845, ISSN 1743-354

Vaidevi C, 2013, Study on marble dust as partial replacement of cement in concrete,

Indian journal of engineering, 4(9), 14-16

8. Contribution to the Field/ Utilization in Field:

As we know that the advancement of concrete technology can reduce the consumption
of natural resources and energy sources and enhances the burden of pollutants on
environment greatly. Therefore, it has become necessary to reuse these wastes
particularly in the manufacture of concrete products for construction purposes. Marble
dust is wasted, by using it in concrete will reduces Environmental Hazards and cost.
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The main goal of this study is to demonstrate the possibility of using marble wastes as
a fine aggregate replacer in concrete production. The aim of this research is study
methodology, the characterization of waste marble aggregates and various practical
formulations of marble concrete.

The purpose of this research is to study the mechanical properties (Compressive, Split
Tensile, Flexural properties) of marble concrete.

9. Work schedule/plan:

Title of Part (Weeks/Months)

Literature Review 01 Weeks

Material Selection 02 Weeks

Laboratory tests 08 weeks

Compilation of data 04 Weeks

Conclusion & Results/Analysis 02 Weeks

Thesis Writing & Final Presentation 04 Weeks

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Proposed Starting Date: July 2016

Expected Date of Completion: January 2017

Are Major Facilities available for the work? Yes

Are additional facilities required? Nil

Signature of candidate ____________

Dated: ____________

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bazid Khan

Signature: __________________

Dated: ____________

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