Investigation on structural behaviour of bamboo reinforced concrete slabs under concentrated load

Abstract

Reinforced concrete is perhaps the most widely used building material in the world. However, the materials used for reinforcement of concrete i.e. steel is quite expensive and scarcely available in the developing world. As a result, bamboo is considered to be a cheaper replacement with high tensile strength. This research investigated the structural behaviour of bamboo-reinforced concrete slabs used for footplate foundation subjected to concentrated load. For this purpose, four different reinforced concrete slab panels were developed and analyzed. The influence of replacing steel with bamboo for the reinforcement of concrete slabs on their structural behaviour was assessed by determining the load-deflection characteristics, the ultimate load, the stiffness, the ductility, the cracking pattern, and the energy absorption capacity. The results showed that in comparison to steel reinforced concrete slabs, the strength of 82% can be acquired by the bamboo reinforced slabs. Furthermore, ductility demonstrated by the two types of specimens was almost equivalent i.e. up to 93%. Those indicated that the structural behaviour demonstrated by bamboo reinforced slabs is quite comparable to that of steel reinforced concrete slabs. Therefore, bamboo can prove to be a promising substitute for steel in concrete reinforcement. Future studies may further examine this opportunity.