An Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of the Structural performance of Bamboo-Reinforced Concrete Beams

The global shift toward sustainable construction calls for eco-friendly alternatives to traditional materials. While steel reinforcement in concrete offers high strength and durability, it has significant environmental and economic drawbacks. Bamboo, a fast-growing and renewable material, is a low-cost, eco-friendly option, but concerns about its structural performance have hindered its widespread use. This study examines the structural performance of concrete beams reinforced with steel (SRC), bamboo (BRC), and hybrid steel-bamboo combinations (HYB-1 and HYB-2). It assesses ultimate failure load, load-deflection curves, failure modes, and crack patterns to explore their viability as sustainable alternatives. Beams measuring 150×150×750 mm were tested experimentally and simulated using ABAQUS software under three-point bending. SRC beams had the highest ultimate failure load (104.67 kN) and deflection (8.6 mm). BRC beams had the lowest failure load (17.97 kN), a decrease of 82.9%. HYB-1 and HYB-2 showed intermediate loads of 87.25 kN and 24.99 kN, respectively. Deflection in BRC beams was the least (3.0 mm), while HYB-1 and HYB-2 showed deflections of 7.4 mm and 5.6 mm. Finite element analysis (FEA) closely matched experimental results, with an average difference of 7.44%, validating the accuracy of the modeling.