Abstract. Bamboo is a rapid renewable plant that has a fast growth rate as compared to trees, which increases its suitability to be used as a sustainable source for wood industry, especially in construction works. Due to the lack of understanding on bamboo properties, the utilization of bamboo in construction has always been neglected. This paper presents an investigation on the mechanical properties of four species of treated bamboos that are available in Malaysia, which include Bambusa Vulgaris, Dendrocalamus Asper, Schizostachyum Grande, and Gigantochloa Scortechinii. A mechanical testing was carried out in various parts along the culm of these bamboo species in order to examine the differences of their compressive strength and tensile strength. The strength development and moisture content of these bamboo species were also monitored at a five-month interval. The results showed that Bambusa Vulgaris, Dendrocalamus Asper, and Gigantochloa Scortechinii possess excellent mechanical properties in compression and tensile strength, which indicate a good quality to be used as a construction material. As bamboo offers promising advantages, thus, it is suitable to be used as a substitute in place of structural timber in construction, which indirectly facilitates the preservation of the global environment.

Geopolymer is a type of amorphous alumino-silicate cementitious material, synthesized by the reaction of an alumina-silicate powder with an alkaline solution. The geopolymer technology has recently attracted increasing attention as a viable solution to reuse and recycle industrial solid wastes and by-products. This paper discusses the performance of geopolymer mortar comprises of multiple blended ash of palm oil fuel ash (POFA), pulverized fuel ash (PFA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) by replacing ordinary Portland cement. Fine aggregate obtained from the ceramic waste was used to partially replace normal sand in the mixture. The concentration of alkaline solution used was 14 Molar. The fresh mortar was cast in 50x50x50 mm cubes geopolymer mortar specimens and cured at ambient temperature for 24 hours. The effects of mass ratios of alkaline solution to multiple blended ashes and percentage of ceramic aggregate as sand replacement on compressive, flexural and tensile strength of mortar were examined. The results revealed that as the multi blended ash (GGBFS: PFA: POFA) mass ratio increased, the compressive strength of geopolymer mortar is increased with regards to the ceramic aggregate properties.

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The application of flat slab in construction offers a good deal, whereby the elimination of beam could reduce the overall height of the building and self-weight of structure. However, a drawback is that a high concentration of shear forces and bending moments at the column peripheries are produced, which cause punching shear failure. Previous researches proved that an adequate mix composition of steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC) has the ability to improve load carrying capacity and the energy absorption performance specifically in the slab-column connection. In view of this, this study reviewed parameters used by several previous experimental studies of the performance of steel fibre reinforced concrete in improving the punching shear strength of the flat slab. It was found that fibre volume fractions, preparation of material and size of specimen affect the efficiency of steel fibre in resisting the punching shear.

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