A comparative study of Bamboo reinforced concrete beams using different stirrup materials for rural construction

This study aims at exploring ways of making the use of bamboo reinforced concrete beams simple, efficient and cost-effective for rural construction with Ghana as a case study. It is a comparative study of bamboo reinforced concrete beams with shear links made of different materials. The web materials considered were bamboo, rattan cane and steel. Sixteen (16) beams were tested to failure under four point bend tests. The highest and lowest failure loads were recorded for the cases of steel stirrups and no stirrups respectively. The experimental failure loads averaged 5.05 and 1.72 times the observed first crack and theoretical failure loads respectively. At failure, beams with low concrete compressive strength and small amount of bamboo tension reinforcement had wider cracks. The cheapest and most economical means of providing shear reinforcement for bamboo-reinforced beams was analysed using a performance model developed in this research. A beam performance index (BPI) in terms of energy absorbed per unit cost of beam, indicated the use of steel stirrups as the most economical. The most expensive means of shear reinforcement provision in bamboo reinforced beams is by rattan cane stirrups irrespective of the grade of concrete. It is therefore recommended that steel stirrups be used to enhance the performance of bamboo reinforced concrete beams.