Development of Sustainable Concrete Using Treated Bamboo Reinforcement

Abstract

Due to the expanding global population and rising per capita consumption, there has been an increase in the demand for environmentally friendly building materials in recent years. Moreover, the quest for steel and cement alternatives has become more crucial. Any substitute materials must be reasonably priced, fast growing, equivalent in the strength and characteristics, and environmentally friendly. In the current chapter, first, a tensile strength test was conducted on available bamboo strips to determine their ultimate strength and other engineering characteristics. Then, bitumen and epoxy resin were applied to bamboo to investigate the effects of two alternative adhesives on the bond resistance offered with the contact of the bamboo structural specimen. Moreover, experiments were performed on steel and bamboo-reinforced concrete beams to further study the load-carrying capacity, deflection, ductility, stiffness, and energy absorption. In addition, beams were subjected to a two-point stress test to examine how they respond to bending. These experiments indicated that when treated properly, bamboo can replace steel as structural reinforcement in concrete beams.