The Experimental Study of Lightweight Precast Concrete Slab with Bamboo Reinforcement

Precast element is often chosen as a substitute for cast in place system and needs a lightweight element. This paper presents an experimental investigation of lightweight precast concrete slab (LPCS). The proposed LPCS here was a ribbed slab with the lightweight bricks plug in the space between the ribs. An experiment was carried out with two types of slab support and two types of beam reinforcements. The objective of this paper is to quantify and compare the load-deflection curve, maximum loads, and tensile reinforcement strain of the LPCS under vertical load at the middle span according to different LPCS support and different beam reinforcement. The LPCS dimensions were 1400 mm x 2100 mm x 100 mm and 700 mm centre to centre of ribs space. The ribs width was 70 mm with 6 mm steel stirrups diameter. Two types of tensile rib reinforcement diameter were 10 mm steel and 10 mm steel plus 8 mm bamboo in addition. The LPCS supports were edges or corner supported and line supported. The 8 mm bamboo reinforcement were used in compression zone in upper plate. It was found that the edges supported LPCS was less stiff than the line supported LPCS. It was also found that there is no significant improvement of the load carrying capacity due to the addition of bamboo tensile reinforcement because some slips of bamboo tensile reinforcement. Some slips on the bamboo reinforcements along with the large plastic tensile deformation of the steel reinforcements. The novelty of the study is simple mould for grid slab, and lightweight of slab density.