ABSTRACT
Current steel prices have pushed researchers to find better and more economical alternatives to steel as reinforcement in concrete. Some of the alternatives developed were bamboo-reinforced concrete, polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete, glass fiber-reinforced concrete, and basalt fiber-reinforced concrete. Among the various substitutes, only bamboo has proved to be a more reliable and economical option to steel in the industry due to its more compressive strength and cheaper cost. This research aimed to check if bamboo is a suitable alternative to steel reinforcement that could offer more economic benefits without compromising construction practices or reliability.
To accomplish the research goal, an experimental strategy was employed, involving tests to reveal details about the properties of the substitute material (bamboo), including its strength (tensile and compressive), durability, dependability, and performance in an actual situation under closely monitored and controlled circumstances, with the experimental period lasting for seven weeks. A total of 27 beam samples were being tested, of which nine (9) had bamboo cut into sizes 30mm x 400mm as its reinforcement and nine (9) had steel of 8mm diameter and 400mm in length as reinforcement. The remaining nine beam samples were plain concrete.
The average flexural strength obtained from the plain, bamboo, and steel-reinforced beams over seven days, fourteen days, and twenty-one days was recorded. The result showed that for seven days, the plain, bamboo, and reinforced steel beams had a flexural strength of 0.18N/mm2, 0.33N/mm2., and 0.52N/mm2. Fourteen days: 0.30N/mm2, 0.47N/mm2, and 0.65N/mm2, Twenty-one days: 0.38N/mm2, 0.59N/mm2, and 0.77N/mm2. and the average compressive strength of the concrete at 7,. 14, and 21-day intervals: 1.5687N/mm2, 1.6913N/mm2, and 1.7885 N/mm2. The comparative analysis proved that bamboo could be employed as a viable economic substitute to steel in reinforced concrete usage (i.e., in light reinforced concrete works such as pathways, patios, non-load bearing walls, fences, foundations for low-rise structures, beams, and slabs for moderate spans and loads for roofs and balconies, etc.) in the construction industry.
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