Strength properties of bamboo and steel reinforced concrete containing manufactured sand and mineral admixtures

In a quest to ensure sustainability of the future generation, various research attempts are focusing on the use of alternative materials for construction. In this study, bamboo strips were used as reinforcement in a concrete that was made with supplementary cementitious materials and partial replacement of river sand with manufactured sand (m-sand). Cement was partially replaced by 25% of combination of admixtures such as fly ash and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS). In alignment with standard requirements, concrete samples such as cubes, cylinders and beams were produced and tested at stipulated periods. Micro scale analysis was performed on the bamboo using SEM and FTIR, and its tensile strength was also determined. The results of the micro scale and tensile strength tests revealed that bamboo is a strong and ductile material. The study showed that a combination of fly ash, GGBS and m-sand used as alternative materials in concrete improves the compressive and split tensile strengths. Under flexural loading, performance of bamboo reinforced concrete (BRC) made with alternative materials (fly ash, GGBS, and m-sand) was significantly low compared to BRC containing conventional materials. In addition, BRC made with conventional materials developed more flexural strength than the SRC, with a variation representing 6.5% strength gain.