The Effect of Curing Conditions on the Properties of Cement-Based Composites Blended with Waste Marble Dust

Abstract

The goal of this article is to study the effect of curing conditions on the properties of cement-based composites blended with waste marble dust (WMD). WMD was added to cement-based composites with different ratios of replacement, and two of the most commonly used curing conditions were applied. Half of the composites were cured in water at a temperature of 20 ± 1°C, and the other half of the composites were cured in air at a temperature equal to 22 ± 2°C and relative humidity (RH) equal to 20 ± 1%. To achieve the goals of the study, the composites were tested after 3 days, 7 days, 28 days, and 65 days of curing for their apparent density (ϒ ad ), porosity (p m ) and compressive strength (f cd ). Finally, the obtained macroscopic observations were validated using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the water curing conditions were beneficial for the cement-based composites and gave satisfactory results compared with the air-curing conditions.