Relationship between physical, anatomical and strength properties of 3-year-old cultivated tropical bamboo Gigantochloa Scortechinii

The physical, anatomical and strength properties of 3-year-old cultivated tropical bamboo Gigantochloa scortechinii was studied. Five (5) culms of the bamboo were selected and harvested from the Bambusetum plot located in the Forest Research Institute Malaysia in Kepong. The anatomical study focussed on the vascular bundles and fibres located at the internodes and nodes No. 8 at the outer, middle and inner cross section of the bamboo. The sizes of the vascular bundles length, vascular bundles width, fiber length, fiber diameter, fiber lumens diameter, fiber walls thickness and fiber Runkle's ratio were measured in relation to the samples positions at the internodes, nodes, and positions in the cross-section of the bamboo culms. The physical study gives emphasis on the moisture content, basic density and dimensional stability. The strength properties study focused on the tension parallel to the grain and shear test. Both the physical and strength study were conducted at internodes and nodes No. 8 of the bamboo. INTRODUCTION The timber production from the natural tropical forests will continue to be on the decline despite the increase in the world population and the market demand by the wood-based industry in Malaysia. The timber supply from the plantation could not cope with the growing demand for timbers. Bamboo, a fast-growing species reaches maturity within 3 -4 years can provide material to replace timber in the coming future. Research and development which covers all aspects in bamboo silviculture, propagation, processing, properties and utilization of bamboo found naturally growing wild in the forest and cultivated has been intensified. However, study on cultivated bamboo stands has so far mostly confined to selected species in silviculture and fertilizers application to enhance growing (Azmy et al., 2007). Information on the properties such as anatomical and structural properties is rather limited. The physical and strength properties of bamboo have been widely studied by many researchers all over the world (Li, 2004; Rafidah et al., 2010). However, the information on the relationship between the anatomical, physical and strength properties of some species in genus Gigantochloa is still limited. In this study, a tropical bamboo species G. scortechinii was studied. G. scortechinii is one of the most popular bamboo species in Malaysia due to its having good physical morphology and strength properties. Assessment of bamboo physical properties such as moisture content, specific gravity, maximum shrinkage (tangential, radial and volumetric, roughness and wet ability has been conducted. Tension parallel to grain, the static bending and compression roller shear test for small size specimens were carried out. Anatomical and physical characteristics of bamboo culms have been known to have significant effects on their durability and strength (Latif and Tamizi, 1993; Liese, 1985; Razak, 1998). Studies on the anatomical and physical properties of cultivated Bambusa vulgaris conducted by Razak et al. (2010) support this statement. Information generated on the anatomical properties of bamboo can be used to determine their possible proper utilization. Currently, bamboo used for making traditional products such as handicraft, basketry, and high-value added products of panels, parquets, furniture and construction materials. G. scortechinii bamboos are among the most popular tropical bamboo species for plantation. These bamboos are easily cultivated and possess thick culms wall, and having uniform sizes between the nodes and internodes. This makes them suitable as materials for industrial usage. Advancement in the application of bamboo in modern era requires further understanding of the material such as properties of the anatomy, physical and strength at different location and position in the bamboo culms. The objectives of the study was to determine the relationship between the anatomical, physical and strength of 3-year-old bamboo culms of the G. scortechinii

Mechanical Properties and Failure Behaviour of Gigantochloa Scortechinii

The physical and mechanical properties of bamboo have been widely studied but information of these properties at the nodes is still lacking. The presence of node in a bamboo split may affect the mechanical strength of the material. To enable usage of bamboo in a longer length, understanding the mechanical properties and behaviour of the bamboo at the node is crucial. This study used 4-year-old Gigantochloa scortechinii bamboo. The physical and mechanical properties at the nodal and internodal sections of the bamboo split were tested in green and air dry conditions. The orientations of the bamboo splits with the periphery of the bamboo split oriented facing downwards (referred to as compression) and facing upwards (referred to as tension) were taken into consideration during the mechanical test. Results suggested avoiding orientating the bamboo splits with the peripheral skin positioned at the bottom as it reduced the mechanical properties. The failure behaviour of bamboo splits at the node and internode were evaluated and compared

SPECTROSCOPIC, THERMAL, AND ANATOMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CULTIVATED BAMBOO (GIGANTOCHLOA SPP.)

This paper presents spectroscopic, thermal, and morphological properties of two bamboo species viz. Gigantochloa brang and Gigantochloa wrayi. The nature of cell wall structure and distribution of vascular bundles in G. brang and G. wrayi were studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Gigantochloa spp. at various positions and locations showed identical thermal stability and are stable up to 200 °C. The decomposition of cellulose and hemicelluloses component of the culm occurred between 220 °C and 390 °C, while the degradation of lignin takes place above 400 °C

Potential Use of Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Beams towards Sustainable Construction

Bamboo is a natural resource that has the potential to be a substitute of steel reinforcement in reinforced concrete. This paper presents a study on the mechanical properties of bamboo as well as the behaviour of bamboo-reinforced concrete beams. Six bamboo samples were tested for compressive strength and tensile tests, respectively. In terms of structural properties, three reinforced concrete beams were tested to failure under four-point bending, which includes a control beam, a fully and partially reinforced beams with bamboo. Results of mechanical properties showed that bamboo with nodes has higher capability to be able to resist compressive loading compared to bamboo without node. On the other hand, tensile results revealed that bamboo splint managed to achieve 12.5% of the stress of high yield steel with comparable strain value. Results of structural properties showed that beam reinforced with bamboo can achieve approximately 46% of the beam capacity of the steel reinforced beam. Bamboo reinforced concrete beams failed in a brittle manner under bending with vertical cracks in the tension zone

Anatomical Properties and Microstructures Features Of Four Cultivated Bamboo Gigantochloa Species

Anatomical properties and microstructure features of four (4) cultivated species of popular tropical bamboo genus Gigantochloa were studied. Gigantochloa brang, G. levis, G. scotechinii and G. wrayi of age-group 3 were selected, harvested and processed for the anatomical and microstructure studies. The studies focussed mainly on the vascular bundles and fiber cells located at the internodes and nodes 8 at the outer, middle and inner layers of the bamboo. The sizes of the vascular bundles length, vascular bundles width, fiber length, fiber diameter, fiber lumens diameter, fiber walls thickness and fiber Runkle’s ratio were measured between each of the species in relation to the samples positions at the internodes, nodes, and positions in the crosssection of the bamboo culms. The results in the fibers morphology studies showed that the fibers for each species has different lengths, diameters, cell walls thickness and lumen sizes. The size of vascular bundle is smaller at outer position and become bigger at the inner position. All the four (4) bamboo species exhibited similar in characteristics but having different sizes in anatomy and microstructure features.Cultivated Gigantochloa species, anatomy, vascular bundles, fibers, microstructure features.

Influence of alkali treatment on physico-chemical properties of Malaysian bamboo fiber: A preliminary study = Pengaruh rawatan alkali terhadap sifat-sifat fizikal-kimia serat buluh Malaysia: satu kajian awal

In the present study, the effect of alkaline treatment on the morphology and physico-chemical properties of Malaysian bamboo fibers was elucidated. The fibers were extracted from raw bamboo culm using alkaline solution with concentrations of 0 and 10 wt% at 24 hours and followed by roller milling techniques. The treated and untreated fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Apart from that, the mechanical properties of single fiber were also investigated. It was found that the tensile strength and modulus of the alkali-treated fiber were improved by 45.6 and 72%, respectively, compared to the untreated fiber. The surface morphology of the treated fiber was improved in which the surface roughness has been reduced significantly as proven in SEM. The FTIR and TGA data suggested that alkaline treatment gradually removed the lignin and hemicellulose. These findings highly recommended that, local bamboo fiber could be used as a reinforcement agent for composite making