Engineered bamboo for structural applications

Abstract

Bamboo is a rapidly renewable material that has many applications in construction. Engineered bamboo products result from processing the raw bamboo culm into a laminated composite, similar to glue-laminated timber products. These products allow the material to be used in standardised sections and have less inherent variability than the natural material. The present work investigates the mechanical properties of two types of commercially available products – bamboo scrimber and laminated bamboo sheets – and compares these to timber and engineered timber products. It is shown that engineered bamboo products have properties that are comparable to or surpass that of timber and timber-based products. Potential limitations to use in structural design are also discussed. The study contributes to a growing body of research on engineered bamboo and presents areas in which further investigation is needed.