Epoxy Resin-Treated Bamboo-Reinforced Concrete Beams for Rural Construction Buildings

The bamboo used in construction is widely known and well-established in rural areas. Also, using bamboo as a concrete reinforcement member can minimize CO2 emissions of steel-reinforced concrete members. This study used bamboo that had already been pre-treated with epoxy resin and subjected to sandblasting to increase friction between the bamboo and cement mortar. In addition, tests were performed on the flexural and durability of the bamboo-reinforced concrete beams. Compared to steel–concrete beams, the failure mechanism of reinforced concrete beams is not considerably altered when bamboo reinforcement is used instead of steel reinforcement in concrete. However, the initial crack load showed better results. The transverse loading tests are carried out on plain, steel, and bamboo-reinforced beams to assess the ultimate load, deflection, and failure mode pattern. Moreover, durability tests are performed on beams to examine how they respond to various exposure conditions. These experiments indicate that bamboo may replace steel as a beam-reinforcing material with proper pretreatment for low-cost construction buildings.