Behaviour of Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Beams With 100% Recycled Coarse Aggregate

Abstract

The behavior of bamboo reinforced concrete (BRC) beams with 100% recycled aggregates
(RA) was studied to ascertain the viability of the substitute materials and its adherence to
predictions. Two beams with 1% and 2% longitudinal reinforcement ratios and with stirrups
were stressed to failure under monotonic loading till failure. Observations of the deflections,
crack width and crack appearance were recorded at increasing load intervals until failure.
From experimental results, it was discovered that the higher percentage of longitudinal
reinforcement exhibited a higher ultimate load capacity with lesser deflection. The beam with
the higher percentage of longitudinal reinforcement also sustained cracks with smaller
widths than observed in the other beam. A framework for predicting the behavior of BRC
with RA was proposed and this seems to adequately predict results close to the experimental
results obtained. It is recommended herein that the crushing strain of RC be set as 0.001 in
the conventional sectional analysis of such members.