Sustainability Switzerland, Volume 13, Issue 13 , 01/07/2021

Bamboo as a sustainable building material—culm characteristics and properties

Kitti Chaowana, Supanit Wisadsatorn, Pannipa Chaowana

Abstract

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.

Document Type

Article

Source Type

Journal

Keywords

Bamboo culmBuilding materialCulm characteristicsPhysical and mechanical propertiesSustainable natural material

ASJC Subject Area

Computer Science : Hardware and ArchitectureComputer Science : Computer Networks and CommunicationsEnvironmental Science : Environmental Science (miscellaneous)Energy : Energy Engineering and Power TechnologyEnvironmental Science : Management, Monitoring, Policy and LawEnergy : Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentSocial Sciences : Geography, Planning and DevelopmentComputer Science : Computer Science (miscellaneous)

Funding Agency

Royal Project Foundation


Bibliography


Chaowana, K., Wisadsatorn, S., & Chaowana, P. (2021). Bamboo as a sustainable building material—culm characteristics and properties. Sustainability Switzerland, 13(13) doi:10.3390/su13137376

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