Tensile properties of bamboo strips and flexural behaviour of the bamboo reinforced concrete beams

In this study, a series of experimental tests on untreated species of Bambusa Vulgaris Vittata (BV), Bambusa Heterostachya (BH) and Schizostachyum BrachycladumYellow (SB) were conducted to investigate the effect of strip's shape, bamboo's types, and moisture content on the tensile strength of bamboo strip. Four different cutting shapes, which are strip-cut (S), strip cut-side curve (SS), double curve (DC) and single curve (SC) with consideration of the presence of bark and nodes in the strip were investigated for their performance. Based on the results, the SS shape specimen with bark has higher tensile strength. The presence of the node reduced the strength by more than 50%. The type of bamboo has a major impact on tensile strength. The optimum moisture content for bamboo material is 12% at 28 days air-dried. The performance of the BV and BH species for bamboo reinforced concrete beams were then investigated under the three-point bending loading and compared with that of the concrete beams reinforced with steel at the tension zone. The load-carrying capacity of the bamboo reinforced concrete beam is significantly affected by the cross-sectional area of the bamboo reinforcement, while its deflection is controlled by the ultimate tensile strength of bamboo reinforcement.