New Findings on Bamboo-concrete Composite Slabs

Bamboo is a natural material that is highly sustainable and has very favourable material properties, specifically high longitudinal strength and low density. This paper revisits a concept for the use of bamboo that specifically exploits its high tensile strength. Half-shells of bamboo rods are covered by concrete to form a composite beam or slab where the bamboo is used in tension and the concrete in compression. A numerical model assuming a rigid shear connection between concrete and bamboo is used for analysis. The applicability of the numerical model is shown by comparison with nonlinear laboratory tests performed on a similar specimen with a 4m span. In addition, new techniques are proposed for achieving proper bond between the bamboo and concrete in a more sustainable way. The paper discusses the main concepts of these novel elements providing an overview of the development and outlook.