Edinburgh Napier University

  Over the late decade, sustainability has become mainstream in the built environment due to the widespread awareness of global warming. This has led to the creation and optimisation of engineered wood and bamboo products. Engineered bamboo products possess superior environmental and mechanical characteristics which situate them as appealing candidates in aiding other natural building materials in the path toward sustainability. Whilst many of the studies in this field have only focused on characterising engineered bamboo products, this study aimed to develop engineered bamboo-based composite beams. A prototyping study was conducted to gain a detailed understanding of the proposed hybrid/engineered materials, with a focus on enhancing the strength and retaining the environmental and mechanical characteristics of both materials. A series of destructive experiments were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of the constituent materials and a simplified stress-strain relationship was proposed. A tailor-made and multi-point measurement system based on photogrammetry was developed to acquire three-dimensional information. Using this information, the suitability of the timber-based testing standards for laminated bamboo were examined and the limitations were identified. Three different composite prototypes were fabricated and tested in three stages in the laboratory environment at Edinburgh Napier University. These composites are: I-bone laminated bamboo and timber hybrid beam (IBHB), laminated bamboo I beam (BIB) and laminated bamboo double I-beam (BDIB).Throughout the different stages of this study, engineered bamboo-based composite beams have shown promising potential to be used in the construction industry. Because of their rapid renewability, great strength and higher ductility, these composites are efficient in terms of material use and comprise more than three times higher strength to weight ratio compared to the control samples. Mathematical models to predict the deflection and bending moment were developed based on the linear and non-linear behaviour of laminated bamboo. The I-bone laminated bamboo provided higher load-bearing capacity while the side timbers contributed toward shear resistance and cross-sectional stability. IBHB exhibited higher flexural strength when compared to the conventional engineered wood materials. The bending modulus of IBHB was also doubled when compared to the control samples. The laminated bamboo I-beam and double I-beam also demonstrated great flexural properties, however, with signs of vulnerability to the horizontal shear failure. Laminated bamboo double I-beam exhibited similar mechanical properties to those of IBHB. The findings of this study add to the rapidly expanding field of engineered bamboo applications within the future built environment. It has done so by providing an innovative approach to developing new engineered bamboo composites for construction and provides a strong foundation for future research.