Flexural strength of concrete slabs reinforced with bamboo of different knots spacing

Abstract

Bamboo has been a promising sustainable material for various applications in the construction industry which can reduce the carbon footprint. The bamboo culms are available with different spacing of knots, which has an effect on the physical and mechanical characteristics of the bamboo. Bamboo possesses significant tensile strength in the range of 100–250 N/mm² along the fibers. In the present study, effect of spacing of knots in bamboo (Bambusa Vulgaris sp.) on flexural strength of Bamboo Reinforced Concrete (BRC) slabs is studied. Four variations in spacing of knots of bamboo were chosen for the study, BRC slabs of size 1.2 m × 0.45 m × 0.06 m of M20 concrete grade were cast for each variation of knots spacing. The slab panels were tested for two-point load and it was found that the BRC slabs reinforced with larger spacing of knots in bamboo possess higher flexural strength as well as higher ductility ratio than those samples of BRC slabs cast with bamboo having closely spaced knots. The probability of survival of BRC slab panels is determined by reliability analysis. In addition, the BRC slab panels considered for study are 47.54% energy efficient and 23.81% economical than the conventional Reinforced Concrete (RC) slabs of equivalent size.