Performance evaluation of bamboo reinforced concrete slab: A comparative study between fibre reinforced mix and shape optimised composite

The demand for sustainable alternatives to conventional steel reinforcement in concrete remains a major challenge, particularly due to steel’s high cost, energy-intensive production, and susceptibility to corrosion in aggressive environments. While bamboo has been explored as a renewable reinforcement, its performance within advanced geopolymer matrices and optimised slab configurations remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by experimentally evaluating the structural behaviour of four types of bamboo reinforced slabs: cement concrete (BCC), geopolymer concrete (BGC), fibre-reinforced geopolymer concrete (BFRGC), and topology-optimised geopolymer concrete (TBGC). The slabs were tested under uniformly distributed loading, and their compressive strength, bond performance, stiffness, ductility, deformability factor, and energy absorption capacity were assessed. Results revealed that BFRGC exhibited superior performance, achieving 13.6 % higher compressive strength, 32 % greater ductility, and 33.7 % higher energy absorption capacity compared to BGC, while BCC demonstrated the most brittle response. TBGC, although material-efficient, showed reduced stiffness (7.9 % lower than BGC) and energy absorption (24.6 % lower). These findings highlight the potential of hybrid fibre-reinforced geopolymer concrete with bamboo strips to enhance load-carrying capacity and post-cracking behaviour, thereby advancing the use of natural, sustainable reinforcement in structural applications.