Investigation of mechanical properties of concrete lining of water conveyance channels containing bamboo nanoparticles

The use of practical methods for increasing water conveyance efficiency and optimal use of limited water resources is vital, especially in the world's arid regions, where water scarcity is always a concern. In that respect, efforts to reduce the cost of irrigation canals while maintaining the characteristics, technical standards, prevent damage to the structure, prevent leakage and loss of water at different stages of water transfer and distribution are of great interest to researchers (Abbasi, 2011). One of the solutions is to use pozzolanic materials, which replace a part of cement as cheap materials and thus reduce the finished price of cement. Changes in concrete fluidity and plastic behavior and hydration of cement are the most important physical changes that a pozzolan creates in concrete. Moreover, it can improve the strength and permeability of hardened concrete, resistance to thermal cracks, sulfates, and expansion (Luhar et al., 2019). Regarding using pozzolans to strengthen concrete, one of the most widely used plants in this field is bamboo. Bamboo is a plant that grows in tropical, subtropical and even temperate regions and any favourable regions in terms of ecological factors. On average, 20 million tons of this plant are produced annually in Asian and Latin American countries, which indicates its availability (Frías et al., 2012). Based on observations, Bamboo fibers increase the water absorption ratio (Xie et al., 2015). Furthermore, with the increase in the percentage of bamboo fiber, porosity is also growing (Da Costa Correia et al., 2014). However, Xie et al. (2015) stated that more than 25 to 35% of fiber use reduces stiffness (Xie et al., 2015). Taking these features into consideration, this study aimed to evaluate improvements in compressive strength, tensile strength, durability and elasticity of concrete with bamboo pozzolans.