Comparison of Bamboo Fibers and Bamboo Reinforcement Bars as Sustainable Material in Constructing Concrete Pathways

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Climate change has been the problem of the world since the dawn of the Industrial age. Today, the construction industry is one of the major culprits behind the lack of environmental sustainability. This problem concerning unsustainability in the construction industry needs to be resolved. Therefore, there is a need to find a suitable alternative for such non-renewable materials. This research seeks to assimilate the strength of bamboo fibers and bamboo reinforcement bars as a reinforcement material in the structure of concrete and identify which of the two mentioned materials is more applicable for construction.

METHODS

An experimental and quantitative research design was used to gather and analyze data in this study. An experimental method was used to determine the flexural and compressive strength of bamboo fiber-mixed concrete, bamboo bar-reinforced concrete, and standard concrete without reinforcement. This study utilized concrete testing cubes 150 mm in length, with a concrete grade of M15. A compression machine was used to measure the compressive strength, and the IS 456-2000 approximation was used to measure the flexural strength. One-way ANOVA test was used for the analysis of data.

RESULTS

The results showed that the compressive strength of the control group has a mean of 1949.50 psi, while the flexural strength has a mean of 372.025 psi. The results also showed that compressive strength of the test group treated with bamboo fibers has a mean of 1583 psi, and the flexural strength has a mean of 355.04 psi. Furthermore, it also showed that the compressive strength of the test group treated with bamboo reinforcement bars has a mean of 2132 psi, and the flexural strength has a mean of 389.43 psi. The concrete with bamboo reinforcement bars exhibited the highest mean compressive and flexural strength. It is followed by the concrete without reinforcement, and the concrete with bamboo fibers displayed the lowest mean compressive and flexural strength.

DISCUSSIONS

It was revealed that there are significant differences between bamboo fiber-mixed concrete, bamboo bar-reinforced concrete, and standard concrete without reinforcement in terms of compressive and flexural strength. The use of untreated bamboo fibers can decrease the strength of concrete, while bamboo reinforcement bars can increase the strength of concrete. Thus, the use of bamboo reinforcement bars as a sustainable alternative to steel reinforcing bars is applicable as a sustainable solution.