Flexural Performance of Laminated Bamboo Lumber Beams

Abstract

This study investigated the flexural performance of 20 laminated bamboo beam specimens. The load-strain and load-displacement relationships were obtained from tests, and the detailed failure modes, bending strength, and elastic modulus for all specimens are reported. The study demonstrates the following points: all the beams displayed an initial elastic phase, non-linear deformation, and then brittle failure initiated by rupture on the tension side of the beam. The elastic moduli for compression and tension of the laminated bamboo were the same, and the strain was distributed linearly across the cross-section of the beams during the testing process. There were no obvious width effects on the ultimate strain or bending strength of the laminated bamboo beam. A tri-linear constitutive model is proposed to represent the behaviour of the laminated bamboo under bending, which is shown to reproduce the load-strain and load-displacement responses of the beams very well. In addition, a calculation formula for the ultimate bending moment is proposed.

Keywords

• Deflection
• Laminated bamboo lumber beam
• Ultimate load
• Flexural performance