An Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of the Structural Performance of Concrete Beams Containing Bamboo Shear Reinforcement

Abstract

Alternatives to steel reinforcement in concrete are being actively investigated for environmental, economic, and durability concerns. Several studies suggest that bamboo is a potential substitute for steel reinforcement. In this study, the shear behavior of five reinforced concrete beams incorporating bamboo strips as shear reinforcement at different spaces and configurations were assessed. Structural concrete having a compressive strength of 25 MPa was used for this purpose. The experimental program involved applying four point bending test to the beams to determine their load deflection curves, crack pattern, and strain distribution. In addition, a numerical analysis was conducted for validation and prediction purposes. It was observed that including bamboo strips as shear reinforcement influenced a more brittle behavior with marginal differences when changing their spacing. On the contrary, the spacing was decisive for the load carrying capacity, as smaller spacing caused higher capacity. Strain distribution results followed a similar pattern to that of the deflection. All the curves exhibited a brittle shear failure evidenced by the crack propagation process. Further, the numerical study performed produced accurate results in comparison with the results obtained experimentally, in terms of both the load deflection curves and the crack pattern.