Browsing by Author "Thevarajah, BE"

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item: Conference-Full-text
Bamboo cane as an alternative reinforcement in reinforced concrete beam
(IEEE, 2021-07) Yathushan, K; Kishok, S; Thevarajah, BE; Nithurshan, M; Adhikariwatte, W; Rathnayake, M; Hemachandra, K
Concrete is one of the most energy consumed materials in construction, which has higher compressive strength but poor in tensile strength. Steel is used to compromise the tensile strength of the concrete. Bamboo is a versatile and fast-growing natural material that has high compressive and tensile strength. The use of bamboo as an alternative to steel reinforcement will reduce the energy consumption in construction and reduce the cost. To investigate the feasibility of using bamboo as an alternative reinforcement, the bamboo fiber mix concrete, and bamboo reinforcement in a structural element such as beam were tested under compressive and flexural tests. The experimental study consisted of 12 cubes and 6 beams specimens. Results show that the load-carrying capacity of concrete beams reduced because of the usage of bamboo fiber in concrete. However, the ultimate load-carrying capacity in a hybrid beam was observed to almost equal to the steel-reinforced beam and showed a similar deflection. Based on this study results, it was concluded that the bamboo can be used as an alternative reinforcement in reinforced concrete beams, and it can reduce the cost of beams in the construction.
item: Conference-Full-text
Embodied energy and carbon footprint of two storied refuge space with lightweight load bearing panels
(IEEE, 2020-07) Thevarajah, BE; Jayasinghe, MTR; Lewangamage, CS; Ibell, TJ; Weeraddana, C; Edussooriya, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
With the effects of climate change, natural disasters are becoming more severe and frequent. Disaster resistant structures play a vital role in preventing loss of lives and damage to the belongings. A suitable material that could resist the forces of nature needs to be selected to ensure safety while reducing the adverse effects on the environment. Turning waste material into raw material is welcomed as the scarcity of natural resources and disposal of waste are becoming major issues nowadays. Such a method of replacing coarse aggregate with 100% recycled Expanded-polystyrene (EPS) is the production of lightweight concrete wall panels. A new trend of lightweight panels can be widely seen as partitions in reinforced concrete frame buildings. Incorporating these panels as a loadbearing element would lead to a drastic change in the industry. Hence a detailed study has been carried out to find out the properties of EPS panels with respect to embodied energy and carbon footprint. A comparative study has been conducted between two-storied refuge space with lightweight load-bearing panels and conventional materials such as cement blocks and fired clay bricks, through which the potential of lightweight wall panels as load-bearing walls for a two-storied refuge space is assessed.