Performance of Bamboo Fibre on Modifying Mechanical Properties of Concrete

Towards Go-green’s concept, the use of natural fibres in the construction industry has received substantial attention from many engineering fields. Literature shows that the waste has been used as a replacement or addition material in the concrete mixture for producing lightweight concrete and improving the mechanical properties of the concrete. This innovation is one of the alternative solutions in converting waste into valuable, sustainable materials and consequently reducing the abundance of the waste that may permit environmental pollution.

This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties of concrete with the addition of bamboo fibre (BF) from species type Bambusa Vulgaris, specifically focusing on the compressive and tensile strength of concrete. The chosen bamboo fibre is adopted because it is largely found in Peninsular Malaysia and has a high tensile strength, as suggested by previous researchers.

To achieve this, three percentages of the BF, i.e., 0.5%, 1%, and 1.25%, were added to concrete grade M20. The plain concrete i.e., 0% BF, was prepared as a control sample. The performance of BF on modifying the mechanical properties of concrete for both fresh (i.e., slump test) and hardened (i.e., compression and split tensile tests) states were examined after 7 to 28 days of the curing process.

The findings indicate the effectiveness of BF in improving the mechanical properties of the concrete grade M20. It is noted that the concrete samples with the addition of 0.5% BF is considered as the optimum percentage because it able to increase the compressive and tensile strength of concrete grade M20.

This study provides significant information on the ability of BF as a concrete strength enhancer which subsequently converts the abundance of unwanted agriculture by converting the waste to new green and sustainable concrete material.