Utilization of Sandwich Insulated Panels made from Wood Composite and Cellular Natural Rubber

ABSTRACTStructural Insulated Panel (SIP) with nature rubber (NR) core filler, is a new building material developed in laboratories, is a kind of frameless panel which is often used for the interior construction of buildings. It weighs six times less than a brick and precast concrete wall. Then, it is suitable to be used as drywall to decrease building dead load. In this research, it aims to (1) find out suitable proportion of SIP with NR Core Filler to apply as precast wall and (2) study the detail of installation systems such as patterns and joint details that are suitable for the conditions of construction technique in Thailand. To install in the building, SIP with NR Core Filler should not be less than 6.5 centimeters in thickness, not more than 2.80 meters in height and 1.20 meters in width. The four existing patterns of Panel-To-Panel joints were tested to find the suitable methods to construct by the modular system and can be combined with another existing materials, tools and construction techniques. According to ISO 3349, the results showed that loading capacities of each pattern were similar. The designed joints gave side compressive strength around 50% of seamless wall. To fix the wall to floor and construction wall, the Galvanized Steel Frame was chosen and the tested joints could carry 80.30–90.35 Kilograms of load equal to 700 N/m2. However, the kind of screws is a crucial factor because the strength of installation depends on the laceration between the panel wall and those screws. A panel thicker than 6.5 cm would provide more options for installation detail appropriate for construction in Thailand

Bamboo as a Sustainable Building Material—Culm Characteristics and Properties

Bamboo culm is a renewable and lightweight material with high strength, particularly tensile strength. It is well accepted that bamboo culms have played a significant role in architecture because of their sustainable contribution. The culm characteristics and properties of three-year-old bamboo from five species (Dendrocalamus asper, Dendrocalamus sericeus, Dendrocalamus membranaceus, Thyrsostachys oliveri, and Phyllostachys makinoi) were investigated. The results show that each bamboo species has different culm characteristics along with culm length. Culm size, particularly the outer culm diameter and culm wall thickness, affects the ultimate load. These results confirm that a bigger culm with a thicker wall could receive more load. D. asper received the highest ultimate load, while T. oliveri received the lowest ultimate load. However, when calculating the test results for stress (load per cross-section area), P. Makinoi showed excellent mechanical properties, while D. asper showed the worst mechanical properties. This research promotes bamboo’s appropriate use for building applications and as a more sustainable material for architecture