Flexural Behavior of Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Beams Treated with Sikadur 32 F
Received: 17 February 2025 | Revised: 1 April 2025, 4 June 2025, 16 June 2025, 20 June 2025, and 24 June 2025 | Accepted: 27 June 2025 | Online: 9 July 2025
Corresponding author: Abdourahim Jallow
Abstract
This experimental study investigates the flexural behavior of bamboo-reinforced concrete as a sustainable alternative to steel reinforcement. A series of tests, including compressive strength, ductility, and four-point bending, were conducted to assess the material’s performance. The key parameters analyzed include the load-induced bending behavior, strain distribution, and failure capacity. The measured flexural stress of 37.71 N/mm² demonstrated effective tensile resistance and strong load transfer between bamboo and concrete. The bamboo-reinforced concrete exhibited adequate ductility, with an average displacement of 8.69 mm under load. The strain analysis revealed a conventional stress profile, with compression in the top fibers and tension in the bottom like steel-reinforced beams. The beam comparisons exhibited that increasing the depth improved the stiffness and load capacity but reduced the ductility. Overall, the findings support bamboo as a viable and eco-friendly reinforcement material, particularly where steel is cost-prohibitive. Nonetheless, further research is needed to enhance the bond strength and long-term durability for a broader application.
Keywords:
bamboo reinforced concrete, flexural strength, bonding, ductility, deflection, sustainable constructionDownloads
References
T. F. Awolusi, O. J. Aladegboye, O. E. Babalola, E. K. Ayo, M. Azab, and A. F. Deifalla, "Optimizing the Flexural Behavior of Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Beams Containing Cassava Peel Ash using Response Surface Methodology," Civil Engineering Journal, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 1971–1990, Aug. 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-08-011
M. Afzal, Y. Liu, J. C. P. Cheng, and V. J. L. Gan, "Reinforced concrete structural design optimization: A critical review," Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 260, Jul. 2020, Art. no. 120623. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120623
M. Maier, A. Javadian, N. Saeidi, C. Unluer, H. K. Taylor, and C. P. Ostertag, "Mechanical Properties and Flexural Behavior of Sustainable Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Mortar," Applied Sciences, vol. 10, no. 18, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 6587. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186587
P. R. Mali and D. Datta, "Experimental evaluation of bamboo reinforced concrete beams," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 28, Mar. 2020, Art. no. 101071. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.101071
S. Luhar et al., "Sustainable and Renewable Bio-Based Natural Fibres and Its Application for 3D Printed Concrete: A Review," Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 24, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 10485. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410485
A. Dauletbek, H. Li, Z. Xiong, and R. Lorenzo, "A review of mechanical behavior of structural laminated bamboo lumber," Sustainable Structures, vol. 1, no. 1, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54113/j.sust.2021.000004
D. Nuralinah, A. Pujiraharjo, R. M. Simatupang, and M. Veronica, "Flexural Behavior of Bamboo-Reinforced Concrete Beam under Variation Condition," Civil Engineering and Architecture, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 1904–1914, May 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13189/cea.2024.120346
D. Nuralinah, "The pull-out test on knit bamboo reinforcement embedded into concrete beam," MATEC Web of Conferences, vol. 258, 2019, Art. no. 01007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201925801007
A. Dixit and V. Puri, "Bamboo Bonding in Concrete: A Critical Research," International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering, vol. 8, no. 11S, pp. 323–334, Oct. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.K1061.09811S19
M. A. Mujalli, S. Dirar, E. Mushtaha, A. Hussien, and A. Maksoud, "Evaluation of the Tensile Characteristics and Bond Behaviour of Steel Fibre-Reinforced Concrete: An Overview," Fibers, vol. 10, no. 12, Dec. 2022, Art. no. 104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10120104
Basyaruddin, A. S. Suprayitno, and A. Jatmoko, "The effect twisted petung bamboo variations as reinforcement on concrete beam," Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 1726, no. 1, Jan. 2021, Art. no. 012009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1726/1/012009
P. O. Awoyera, S. Karthik, P. R. M. Rao, and R. Gobinath, "Experimental and numerical analysis of large-scale bamboo-reinforced concrete beams containing crushed sand," Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, vol. 4, no. 1, Jul. 2019, Art. no. 41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-019-0228-x
B. Govindan, V. Ramasamy, B. Panneerselvam, and D. Rajan, "Performance assessment on bamboo reinforced concrete beams," Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, vol. 7, no. 1, Oct. 2021, Art. no. 16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-021-00616-8
Y. Haryanto, N. G. Wariyatno, H. T. Hu, A. L. Han, and B. A. Hidayat, "(Kajian ke atas Sifat Struktur Slab Konkrit diperkuat Buluh di bawah Beban Tertumpu)," Sains Malaysiana, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 227–238, Jan. 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2021-5001-22
V. C. Correia, S. F. Santos, G. H. D. Tonoli, and H. Savastano, "7 - Characterization of vegetable fibers and their application in cementitious composites," in Nonconventional and Vernacular Construction Materials (Second Edition), K. A. Harries and B. Sharma, Eds. Woodhead Publishing, 2020, pp. 141–167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102704-2.00007-X
Y. Takva, C. Takva, and F. Goksen, "A Contemporary House Proposal: Structural Analysis of Wood and Steel Bungalows," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 11032–11035, Jun. 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.5896
C. Zhang et al., "Mix design concepts for 3D printable concrete: A review," Cement and Concrete Composites, vol. 122, Sep. 2021, Art. no. 104155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2021.104155
M. Kaur, H. Chawla, and N. Kwatra, "Effect of GO-modified epoxy on the bond behavior of old-new concrete and comparison with different surface preparation techniques," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 396, Sep. 2023, Art. no. 132369. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.132369
J. J. Xu, W. W. Xiong, B. Shan, J. Wen, and Y. Xiao, "Bending stiffness of bamboo-concrete composite (BCC) beams under short-term loads," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 60, Nov. 2022, Art. no. 105170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105170
B. Mondal, D. Maity, and P. K. Patra, "Tensile characterisation of bamboo strips for potential use in reinforced concrete members: experimental and numerical study," Materials and Structures, vol. 53, no. 5, Oct. 2020, Art. no. 128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-020-01563-z
J. Slaitas, J. Valivonis, and L. Rimkus, "Evaluation of stress-strain state of FRP strengthened RC elements in bending. Fracture mechanics approach," Composite Structures, vol. 233, Feb. 2020, Art. no. 111712. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2019.111712
O. Mohamed, W. A. Hawat, and O. Najm, "Compressive Strength, Splitting Tensile Strength, and Chloride Penetration Resistance of Concrete with Supplementary Cementitious Materials," IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 960, no. 4, Sep. 2020, Art. no. 042078. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/960/4/042078
A. Qasem, Y. S. Sallam, H. Hossam Eldien, and B. H. Ahangarn, "Bond-slip behavior between ultra-high-performance concrete and carbon fiber reinforced polymer bars using a pull-out test and numerical modelling," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 260, Nov. 2020, Art. no. 119857. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119857
Y. Liu, H. Li, Z. Feng, L. Ge, R. Li, and S. Liu, "Study on the interfacial bonding properties between alkali-treated bamboo fibers and high-performance seawater sea-sand concrete," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 426, May 2024, Art. no. 136190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.136190
ASTM C127-24 Standard Test Method for Relative Density (Specific Gravity) and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate. USA: ASTM International, 2024.
ASTM C128-22 Standard Test Method for Relative Density (Specific Gravity) and Absorption of Fine Aggregate. USA: ASTM International, 2022.
ASTM C496/C496M-17 Standard Test Method for Splitting Tensile Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens. USA: ASTM International, 2017.
ASTM C136-06 Standard Test Method for Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse Aggregates. USA: ASTM International, 2015.
ASTM C39/C39M-21 Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens. USA: ASTM International, 2023.
ASTM C78-09 Standard Test Method for Flexural Strength of Concrete (Using Simple Beam with Third-Point Loading). USA: ASTM International, 2010.
ASTM C293/C293M-16 Standard Test Method for Flexural Strength of Concrete (Using Simple Beam With Center-Point Loading) (Withdrawn 2025). USA: ASTM International, 2025.
ASTM C143/C143M-12 Standard Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete. USA: ASTM International, 2015.
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Abdourahim Jallow, Stanley Muse Shitote, Silvester Abuodha, Isaac Fundi Sanewu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
