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Bamboo-reinforced Concrete Structures
Harsh Agarwal (2017CE10108)

Abstract:
Industries involved with the production of steel, used as reinforcement in
concrete, are heavy power users. With ever-increasing demand of construction
materials, a shift from conventional ways is the need of the hour for sustainable
development. Bamboo’s potential as a building material has never remained
inconspicuous. Since long, bamboo has been used as scaffolding. The strength
to weight ratio of bamboo is 6 times more than steel. It has a tensile strength
that matches steel and a compressive strength greater than wood. This paper
discusses the viability of bamboo-reinforcement as an alternative to steel.
1. Introduction:
Today, developing countries are witnessing never seen before rates of
urbanisation. Conventional methods of construction struggle to deliver to the
present needs. The local supply can no longer cater to the increased demand of
raw materials. Only a few developing countries, produce required quantities of
steel, used in construction. Reinforced steel in concrete has disadvantages. Most
significant being high cost of production, low availability and corrosion.
Sustainability demands the transition in construction ways, favouring renewable
resources over finite. Vegetable fibres can be used as reinforcement in concrete.
Sisal, bamboo, coir and jute are some alternatives to replace steel. Among
replacement alternatives, bamboo stands out, with high tensile strength and
availability in developing regions (India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Egypt,
Guyana, Jamaica).
In 1950, Glenn established the feasibility of bamboo reinforced structures. There
were disadvantages of environmental degradation, void formation and cracks.
More recent studies confirm its utility in lightweight concrete beams. The
mechanical resistance of bamboo reinforced concrete beam was observed to be
higher than the steel counterpart. The question of durability of bamboo
reinforced structures still remains unaddressed. The deadlock linked with
durability is due to the water absorption tendency of bamboo. Chemical
degradation, furthermore aggravates the problem. Coating of certain materials
(e.g. epoxy resin) over the surface of bamboo impedes water penetration and
helps with bonding between bamboo and concrete to preserve the mechanical
strength of bamboo.
2. Bamboo- A Civil Engineering Material
Bamboo has elevated mechanical strength, low specific weight, high tensile
strength, better modulus of elasticity than any other natural material and is
easily available. It can prove to be of great economic value, as it attains its
maximum height in a few days and its maximum strength in a few years. Tensile
capacities of bamboo species have been observed to be of the order of few
hundreds of megapascals.
2.1. Composition of Bamboo:
Bamboos are large grasses. A bamboo culm is composed of long and parallel
cellulose fibres. The strength is high in the direction of fibres. The fibre density
varies along the thickness of the shell with fibres more concentrated towards
the external shell. This makes bamboo a functionally gradient material (FGM),
evolved over time in its natural stress distribution state.
2.2. Durability (in engineering applications):
Durability is a challenge with bamboo-reinforced structures. Untreated bamboo
is prone to insect and fungus attacks and environmental degradation. There is a
direct correlation of the amount of starch and water in bamboo with insect
attacks. Curing on the spot, immersion, heating and smoke are some ways to
reduce starch content in bamboo.
Drying is essential to preserve the mechanical properties of bamboo. It reduces
humidity and thereby the risk of mould attacks. Drying directly contributes to
the strength of bamboo. Treatment of bamboo requires it to be dry to help with
injection of preservatives. Air drying is the most common method to dry
bamboo. It can also be dried in oven, greenhouse or using fire.
The durability of bamboo is greatly affected by the preservative treatment it
receives. The preservative must not in any way effect bamboo fibre and once
added should not get washed away. Bamboo reinforcement bars treated for
mould resistant action and bonding with concrete, wage more satisfactorily than
steel reinforcement.
2.3. Water Absorption in Bamboo
Bamboo absorbs water from the surrounding through cracks in cement
microstructure. Swelling takes place when water reaches bamboo before the
concrete cures. A study to observe the water absorbing capacities of different
species of bamboo showed that bamboo absorbs water to swell up by 6% if kept
immersed in water for seven days. These variations in dimensions of untreated
bamboo induce internal stress in the concrete and can cause cracking of
concrete. Apart from water absorption, alkaline environment created by the
concrete mix, causes chemical decomposition of bamboo fibres.
2.4. Bonding with concrete:

The major factors affecting the bond between bamboo and concrete are:
adhesion to concrete matrix; development of compression friction forces due to
concrete shrinkage on the surface of bamboo-reinforcement bars; and friction
due to surface roughness of bamboo-reinforcement bars. The variations in
dimensions of bamboo due to changes in temperature and humidity greatly
affect the bond properties.
During casting, bamboo absorbs water and swells up pushing the concrete away.
Then, at the end of curing, bamboo reverts back to its original state creating
voids around it. The difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion for
bamboo and concrete leads to cracking in concrete. The swelling and shrinkage
in bamboo is a major limitation, when compared to steel. To overcome this
limitation, an effective treatment of bamboo is necessary.
An effective treatment is the application of a layer of epoxy with a coating of
fine sand. It is an expensive treatment method. Water based paints and certain
bituminous materials also act as water repellents.
2.4.1. Pullout Test:
This test is carried to determine the pullout strength of set concrete by
measuring the amount of force required to pull an embedded metal insert. The
insert is cast into fresh concrete. (ASTM C900)
Conventional tests give non-uniform distribution of shear stress. Here, only the
middle part is subjected to shear.
The treatment of bamboo with a fine layer of Negrolin or Sikadur 32 Gel has
shown significant increase in shearing bond strength at interface.
Ratio of bond strength of

Bond strength of treated treated bamboo to bond
Treatment
bamboo τb strength of untreated
bamboo τb/τbnt
Without treatment 0.52 1
Negrolin + sand 0.73 1.4
Negrolin + sand + wire 0.97 1.87
Sikadur 32-Gel 2.75 5.29
Steel 3.25 6.25
3. Concluding Remarks:
Bamboo is an excellent construction material and can satisfactorily replace steel
as reinforcement in concrete structures. Water absorption tendency and
vulnerability to insect and mould attacks are challenges to durability of bamboo-
reinforced structures. Water repellents can facilitate increase in bond strength.
Shearing bond strength at the interface of bamboo-reinforcement and concrete
is compared for several coatings. Sikadur 32-Gel shows an increase of 5.29 times
in bonding strength.
Bamboo composites, to be used as reinforcement, can be easily procured at low
costs without harming the environment. The production process can contribute
to the achievement of multiple sustainable development goals like creating jobs,
stimulating economic activities and providing reliable infrastructure.
Further, standards and definitions need to be made to increase the awareness
for use of bamboo.
References:
1. Ghavami K, Hombeeck RV. Application of bamboo as a construction
material: Part I—Mechanical properties and water-repellent treatment of
bamboo, Part II—Bamboo reinforced concrete beams. In: Proc of Latin
American Symp on Rational Organization of Building Applied to Low Cost
Housing, CIB, São Paulo, Brazil, 1981. p. 49–66
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S09589465040013
37
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S09500618163101
1X
4. http://www.ijera.com/papers/Vol3_issue2/GK3211811190.pdf
5. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 2,
No. 3, June 2011

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Bamboo-reinforced Concrete Structures

Harsh Agarwal (2017CE10108)

2.4. Bonding with concrete:

Ratio of bond strength of

Without treatment 0.52 1

Negrolin + sand 0.73 1.4

Negrolin + sand + wire 0.97 1.87

Sikadur 32-Gel 2.75 5.29

Steel 3.25 6.25

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