Bamboo‐reinforced self‐compacting concrete beams for sustainable construction in rural areas

Abstract

The use of bamboo as longitudinal reinforcement, coupled with the application of self-compacted concrete (SCC) in the construction industry, may be a promising solution to issues involving sustainable development in developing countries. This study seeks to investigate the flexural performance of bamboo-reinforced SCC beams with adequate transverse reinforcement. The major design parameters were the shear span-to-depth ratio, the percentage of longitudinal reinforcement, and the maximum size of coarse aggregate. The load-deflection curves, serviceability and ultimate failure characteristics, cracking behavior, and ductility measures were evaluated and discussed among tested beams. Results indicated that their structural performance at service and ultimate failure would be adequate when a material reduction factor of three is used with BS 8110 design code. However, to achieve maximum ductility, the level of longitudinal reinforcement should be in range of 2.6-3.1%. Furthermore, an increase in the size of coarse aggregate will greatly impact the degree of ductility. K E Y W O R D S bamboo, ductility, flexure, RC beams, self-compacting concrete 1 | INTRODUCTIONThe ever-increasing urbanization that mainly emanates from rapid population growth, particularly in developing countries, has placed much pressure on the demand for building materials in the construction sector. Hence, to maintain a sustainable construction industry, several innovative studies have investigated the relative performance of alternative design methods and materials to conventional ideologies. [1][2][3][4] Javadian et al 5 noted that the contribution from developing countries to the overall demand on concrete as a building material is approximately 90%. Additionally, Hebel et al 6 established that developing countries also account for about 80% of the global demand of steel in the construction industry. However, most of such countries are unable to synthesize these materials, particularly cement and steel, and rely heavily on importation from others. Hence, alternative building materials, which are readily available, affordable, and able to exhibit adequate structural behavior under all forms of external loading, are greatly preferred.A suitable option will be to use bamboo as longitudinal reinforcement for concrete structures that are not subjected to severe loading conditions. Extensive researches 3,4,7-10 on the mechanical behavior of bamboo have revealed that it possesses a comparable tensile strength in relation to mild steel and, as such, can serve as a suitable replacement for steel. However, reliable quantification of its tensile strength is problematic as it is naturally occurring, therefore giving bamboo a wide variability in strength. Therefore, studies 3,4,11,12 on its performance have mainly aimed at finding the optimum percentage of reinforcement that gives a maximum level of ductility under loading. Khare 13 recommended that an optimum of 4% longitudinal reinforcement should be utilized in the design of bamboo-reinforced concrete st...

Reconsidering adaptive industrialized construction in Chinese rural areas: responding to the challenge of COVID-19

“…To reconcile this contradiction, Sun et al (2019) highlighted the importance of integrating modern construction technologies and rural workforce conditions. Technically, such integration achieves better adaptability by investigating alternative designs and delivering methods and materials for better adaptability (Adom-Asamoah et al, 2017).…”

A Review on the Mechanical Behaviour of Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Beams

“…Numerous studies recommended applying excessive reinforcement or a lower workload than the strength limit of the composite [38]. Despite the lower Table 1: Selected mechanical properties of bamboo and other reinforcing materials Reinforcing material Yield strength, MPa Tensile strength, MPa MOE, GPa Bamboo [7,19] 201 309 27 Steel [19][20][21] 442 620 207 GFRP [22][23][24] 680 3100-4150 57-86 CFPR [24,25] -3500-6000 230-600 AFRP [24,26] -1540-3400 70-140 BFRP [24,27] -3000-4840 [79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93] Notes: GFRP-Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic; CFPR-Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic; AFRP-Aramid Fibre Reinforced Plastic; BFRP-Basalt Fibre Reinforced Plastic; MOE-Modulus of Elasticity.…”

“…Adom-Asamoah et al [79] investigated the performance of bamboo longitudinal reinforcement in selfcompacted concrete (BRSCC) considering the following factors: the shear span-to-depth ratio (1.5-2.5), the longitudinal q (1.6%-3.1%), tensile reinforcement level (L as lower and H as higher) and the size of coarse aggregate (10, 14 mm). The beam size was 110 mm × 275 mm × 2000 mm with bamboo bars of 15 mm × 12 mm in cross-section.…”

Experimental investigation and prediction on the effects of glass and bamboo fibers as key mixture parameters in reinforced concretes using support vector regression

“…Natural fiber includes cellulose, jute, and bamboo, and so forth, and synthetic fibers namely steel, glass, and carbon, and so forth are considered a superior reinforcing material for concrete 5,6 . The durability and strength of bamboo are high, due to its better properties, besides, most of the South Asian countries used bamboo in the concrete development instead of steel 7,8 . The cement, admixtures, water, and sand are mixed with the short‐length glass fibers to generate the material termed glass fiber reinforced concrete 9 …”

“…5,6 The durability and strength of bamboo are high, due to its better properties, besides, most of the South Asian countries used bamboo in the concrete development instead of steel. 7,8 The cement, admixtures, water, and sand are mixed with the short-length glass fibers to generate the material termed glass fiber reinforced concrete. 9 E-glass is a type of glass fiber and it is stronger.…”