PERFORMANCE OF BAMBOO REINFORCED INTERLOCKING SOIL-CEMENT BLOCK WALL UNDER IMPACT LOADING

Pandemic Covid-19 has become a major factor that contributes to substantial increment of the recent construction cost during the economic recovery period which subsequently causes financial difficulties to people from low-income groups to own their desired home. To date, numerous researchers have been conducted to investigate the potential use of natural resources as an alternative construction material. In addressing the issue, the performance of bamboo as an alternative reinforcement for interlocking soil-cement block (ISCB) wall under given impact loading was investigated. Gigantochloa Scortechinii, a species of bamboo, was chosen as it is abundantly found in Peninsular Malaysia. The mechanical properties of the bamboo were investigated by performing the compression and tensile laboratory testing. Each of the testing consisted of 6 samples; 3 untreated bamboo (control) and the remaining bamboo were coated with epoxy as surface treatment. In impact load testing, the bamboo reinforcement was coated with epoxy and rolled with galvanized iron wire to increase the bonding strength between bamboo and mortar in the ISCB wall. Six ISCB walls with dimensions of 1500 mm x 1000 mm x 125 mm were prepared and tested under impact load test which consisted of 2 samples for each unreinforced, steel-reinforced, and bamboo-reinforced wall. Result denoted that the treated bamboo significantly stronger for both compressive and tensile strength with percentage improved to 7% and 46% respectively. It also observed that the bamboo-reinforced wall experienced much smaller initial (first crack), and maximum (after 15 blows) average crack width compared to unreinforced wall in the impact load testing. The bamboo-reinforced wall required 4 blows of impact load to start an initial crack pattern, which is similar to steel-reinforced wall. The study provides a significant finding that bamboo is a good and cheaper material to be used as an alternative reinforcement in the construction industry.