MOMENT- CURVATURE RELATION FOR BAMBOO REINFORCED CONCRETE SECTIONS

The demand for building materials has surged globally where the global economy revolves around the construction industry, significantly leading to resource depletion and environmental exploitation. Concrete is the second most consumed product globally, after clean water, with 3 tonnes used annually per person. With soaring steel prices and its large carbon footprint, there is a pressing need for sustainable alternatives. Bamboo, being far less expensive than steel and emitting significantly less carbon dioxide during production, presents an economically viable and environmentally friendly option for construction. The utilization of bamboo as reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC) is in its nascent stages since the bamboo reinforced concrete (BRC) members involves more uncertainties compared to steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) members. Therefore, exploring the feasibility of bamboo as a reinforcement material is essential for the emergence of a more sustainable construction industry. Ductility is crucial for seismic resistant design of RC structures. When the structure is loaded beyond the yielding stage, plastic hinges are formed at specific locations of the structural members. The non-linear behaviour is expressed in terms of the moment-curvature (M-C) relationship, which is determined from the cross-sectional behaviour of these members. The M-C relationship can be evaluated both experimentally and numerically. Experimental studies are the best way to determine the cross-sectional properties. However, it is not practically feasible to develop 1:1 scale model for RC structures. Therefore, numerical iteration methods and finite element programs can be used to determine the M-C relationship. This study focused on developing the M-C relationship of BRC beams and columns numerically. This work involved developing a code for the M-C relation for BRC Beam and BRC column based on the σ-ε relations of bamboo splint and ordinary concrete. Ductility factors were determined from the M-C plots. Although BRC structural elements exhibited lower ductility than conventional SRC members, they still demonstrate significant ductile capacity.