Durability self-compacting mortar under external chemical attacks based on composite binder

The performance of concrete / mortar is specially related to their composition and water to cement ratio. The use of Ordinary Portland cement [OPC] as binder increases the hydration heat and cost of cement and CO2 emissions. So the use of composite binder by reducing the amount of OPC and introducing mineral additions can be a useful solution. In this study, OPC was partially substituted with marble powder [MP] at various percentages (5, 10, 15 and 20%) and the effect of MP on the durability of self compacting mortars [SCM] exposed to chemical aggressions was investigated. Two aggressive solutions were used sodium sulfate [Na2SO4] and hydrochloric acid [HCl]. The dosages of the solutions were 5 and 1%, respectively. The results revealed that the use of marble powder is beneficial for improving the resistance of SCM to aggressive solutions. Adding 20% MP increased the resistance against sodium sulfate attack by 46% at 180 days. Using MP with content ranged between 10 to 20% was found to reduce mass loss by 1 to 0.47%.