AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE-FILLED BAMBOO COLUMNS: NOVEL DRILLING AND CASTING SYSTEM

Abstract

In tropical regions like Vietnam, the utilization of bamboo as a sustainable building material is on the rise, particularly for eco-conscious construction projects. This research investigated the reinforcement of bamboo culms filled with high-strength concrete, employing a novel drilling system to drill bamboo knots. Additionally, a specialized concrete-pouring and multi-level compression system was engineered to facilitate casting concrete into the narrow, elongated cavities of bamboo culms and enable testing of samples of varying lengths. A total of 56 experiments were conducted, revealing that longer samples exhibited elastic failure, whereas shorter samples succumbed to buckling failure. Notably, bamboo-concrete composite samples demonstrated a significantly higher ultimate load capacity compared to conventional concrete columns. The study also established a strong correlation between the slenderness ratio of the sample and its ultimate load, suggesting that engineers can efficiently estimate the ultimate bearing capacity based on the inherent characteristics of the bamboo culm.