Home   • Bamboo Structural Material

Compared with wood, bamboo has many advantages like greater strength, tenacity, rigidity, better physical-mechanical performance. Consequently, Hardwood flooring is now being replaced by floor board in cold countries.

Short discrete vegetable fibers i.e. bamboo has been examined for their suitability for incorporation in cement concrete. The physical properties of these fibers have shown no deterioration in a concrete medium. It is shown that workable and homogeneous mixes can be obtained using a special method of proportioning. While compressive and tensile strengths of vegetable fiber concretes are no higher than those of control concrete, their deformation behavior shows improvement in ductility and reduced shrinkage. Impact and fracture toughness of vegetable fiber concretes are also distinctly higher.

Bamboo has strong molecular structure yet it requires post-harvest processing before using it in bicycle frame. After cutting, bamboo needs heat-treatment in which bamboo tubing is treated with hand-held blow torch. The heating maximizes the strength of the bamboo through changing the properties of the fiber. At present, there is no distinctive evidence of how the fiber transforms yet it is theorized as the process similar to boiling sugar syrup. After drying, the internal juice become stiff which brings strength to the bamboo of which if a bicycle is made, it can be ride but still it would be supple.

Statistically Averaged Bambusa Balcooa 4+ years mature Upper Assam

All kN/cm²

• Elastic modular 1800
• Tensile strength 15,0
• Compressive strength 3,9
• Bending strength 7,6
• Thrust 0,9
• d=12cm; d=9cm averaged
• A=50cm² cross section
• W=100cm³
• I = 700 cm⁴

• Presence of voids
• Glue imperfections
• Orientation of bamboo material

• FE model of bamboo strip
• FE model of LBSL with different arrangement/orientation of bamboo material
• FE model of voids in the composite system
• FE model of non-glued surfaces in the composite system
• FE model of shear failure (in a case of shorter and deep LBSL beam)

Knowledge on mechanical properties of bamboo in strip forms (strip or strand) is very important because LBSL contains bamboo in these forms. Studies on the anatomy of bamboo internode cross-section have revealed that the strength properties change (increase) from inner to outer layer of the culm.

Figure 1 : Anatomical Features of Bamboo Internode

These microstructure features cause bamboo split to behave differently under different bending modes, i.e.,

• with load on top of outer layer
• on top of inner layer and
• on side.

Figure 2 : Different Type of Loading for Bending Test

• Morphological-Based
  In this approach, the parameters of the model are based on physical properties of the material's microstructure. In the case of bamboo strip, it could be modeled as orthotropic unidirectional fibrous material. This model would be useful in the analyses such as to determine strength, fracture toughness and fatigue life that require local stress-strain characteristic inputs.
  
  
  

  Figure 3 : Bamboo Strip as Orthotropic Unidirectional Fibrous Composite
  (Notes * = Amada et al 1996)

  
  
• Laminated Composites
  The bamboo strip could also be modeled as a laminated composite with several unidirectional continuum layers each with unique mechanical properties.
  
  
  

  Figure 4 : Bamboo Strip as Multiple Continuum Layers

  
  This model would be appropriate to study the bending behavior of bamboo strip subjected to different loading types and to explain the dissimilarity between the load-displacement curve characteristics.
• 2-Layer Composite
  This is the simplified version of laminated model mentioned above. The bamboo strip is composed of two layers of distinctive mechanical properties where the outer layer is much stronger than the inner layer.
  
  
  

  Figure 5 : Bamboo Strip as 2-Layer Composite

  
  This could be the most economical model for future numerical analysis of Laminated Bamboo Strip Lumber (LBSL) Numerical Works
  
  The aim of current numerical analysis is to produce load-displacement curves for bamboo strip subjected to simple bending load. The work started with the 2-layer composite model below.

Figure 6 : Load and support arrangement
(Dimensions in mm)

• presence of voids
• glue imperfections
• orientation of bamboo material

• FE model of bamboo strip
• FE model of LBSL with different arrangement/orientation of bamboo material
• FE model of voids in the composite system
• FE model of non-glued surfaces in the composite system

• FE model of shear failure

Apart from average test Properties, Luit Nirman uses peoples’ hereditary Experience and folk wisdom to make the best /optimum/minimum-waste. We offer choice of Bamboos for all applications.

World’s users can rest assured of quality and selection and prompt service from LUIT NIRMAN

Strength in Concrete : Bamboo is a high strength material that can be used, in certain cases, as reinforcement in concrete. As concrete matrix has a high pH, many authors have discussed the decay of vegetal materials when used to reinforce cementations matrix. This paper presents results of an experimental investigation made to evaluate bamboo durability to be used as concrete reinforcement. The durability was evaluated by changing the tensile strength and Young’s Modulus of bamboo.