Performance assessment of bamboo bond strength in cement–fly ash mortar

The novelty of this study is the combined experimental and statistical approach, which is showcased to predict and optimise bamboo–mortar bond strength, incorporating the effects of various material factors. The design of experiments method was used to quantify the impact of multiple factors affecting the bond strength. Firstly, different experimental pull-out tests were conducted in the laboratory to determine the effect of various factors (water/cement ratio, curing duration, cement/sand ratio, fly ash content and bamboo treatment) on bond strength development. Three failure patterns were observed – bamboo failure, bond failure and mortar failure. Secondly, using a two-level full factorial design method, different statistical models were formulated. These models were developed based on the surface treatment of the bamboo (model M1 (untreated) and model M2 (treated and untreated)). The effects of single factors and their interactions on bond strength development were quantified. The developed models were validated for the prediction of bond strength based on different factors. The developed statistical models were found to predict and simulate the experimental behaviour of bond strength with sufficient accuracy.