A Review on the Mechanical Behaviour of Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Beams

Abstract

In light of the increasing demand for sustainable building materials, the effectiveness of bamboo utilization in various fields has become the object of scientists' close attention. The increased interest in bamboo is explained by its sustainable characteristics, which make it the most preferred material for environmentally friendly and costeffective construction compared to conventional ones. Applicability of bamboo is vast and diverse: from decoration and furniture to structural members and reinforcement. Due to the low price, rich resources, and high elasticity, bamboo culms have also been used as an alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete structures. Extensive research has been done to assess feasibility of bamboo reinforcement in structural elements made of concrete. This article discusses the mechanical properties of three types of structural bamboo reinforced concrete (BRC) beams. Existing original papers on the mechanical behaviour of structural BRC members were studied, and the fundamental properties including typical failure modes, reasons of failure, load-displacement relationships, and influencing factors were discussed and described. Observations and conclusions of the review will contribute to deep understanding of structural feasibility of BRC beams and serve as a base for future research.

Bamboo stick diameter, volume and aspect ratios effect on the compressive behavior of bamboo sticks reinforced concrete mixed with sea sand and seawater

“…It is worth noting that in this study, the bamboo sticks were not subjected to any treatment, causing the dimensional changes of bamboo [27]. During drying, bamboo absorbed moisture leading to an increase in size and pushing back the walls of concrete.…”

“…The studies reported that the strength of bamboo-bars reinforced concrete (BRC) members increased twice compared to plain concrete (PC) and constituted 35% of the strength of steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) [22][23][24][25]. Previous studies on BRC members showed that bamboo bars could be utilized as an alternative to steel in lightweight and lowrise buildings where access to steel is difficult and the resources of bamboo are rich [7,26,27]. Although bamboo bars reinforcement improves the mechanical behaviour of concrete members, its ductility is not inferior to the ductility and strength of steel reinforcement [27].…”

“…Previous studies on BRC members showed that bamboo bars could be utilized as an alternative to steel in lightweight and lowrise buildings where access to steel is difficult and the resources of bamboo are rich [7,26,27]. Although bamboo bars reinforcement improves the mechanical behaviour of concrete members, its ductility is not inferior to the ductility and strength of steel reinforcement [27]. The attention of the researchers was shifted to the utilization of bamboo fibres and products based on them, such as bamboo bundle veneer lumbers and bamboo sticks, due to reported excellent mechanical properties and less-polluting production.…”