Elastic response of cross-laminated engineered bamboo panels subjected to in-plane loading

© ICE Publishing: All rights reserved. Novel cross-laminated bamboo panels comprising three and five layers (G-XLam3 and G-XLam5) were tested in compression along the main (0°) and the transverse (90°) directions. Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) and non-contact three-dimensional digital image correlation (DIC) measuring techniques were used separately to measure deformation in the elastic region, and the elastic moduli, Ep C,0 and Ep C,90, were derived. Mean elastic modulus values obtained using LVDTs exhibited a good match with analytically predicted values. In contrast, the elastic values obtained by the DIC method were considerably higher and presented a considerable scatter of results. For instance, the Ep C,0 for G-XLam3 and G-XLam5 panels were 17·22 and 15·67 GPa, and 14·86 and 12·48 GPa, using the DIC and LVDT methods, respectively. In general, G-XLam panels with a fifth of the cross-sectional thickness and twice the density of analogous cross-laminated timber exhibited an approximately two-fold increase in Ep C,0 and Ep C,90. Overall, this research provides guidelines for the assessment and standardisation of the testing procedures for similar engineered bamboo products using contact and non-contact methods and highlights the potential of using G-XLam panels in stiffness-driven applications and in combination with wood for structural purposes

Bamboo reinforced concrete: a critical review

© 2018, The Author(s). The use of small diameter whole-culm (bars) and/or split bamboo (a.k.a. splints or round strips) has often been proposed as an alternative to relatively expensive reinforcing steel in reinforced concrete. The motivation for such replacement is typically cost—bamboo is readily available in many tropical and sub-tropical locations, whereas steel reinforcement is relatively more expensive—and more recently, the drive to find more sustainable alternatives in the construction industry. This review addresses such ‘bamboo-reinforced concrete’ and assesses its structural and environmental performance as an alternative to steel reinforced concrete. A prototype three bay portal frame, that would not be uncommon in regions of the world where bamboo-reinforced concrete may be considered, is used to illustrate bamboo reinforced concrete design and as a basis for a life cycle assessment of the same. The authors conclude that, although bamboo is a material with extraordinary mechanical properties, its use in bamboo-reinforced concrete is an ill-considered concept, having significant durability, strength and stiffness issues, and does not meet the environmentally friendly credentials often attributed to it