Structural Capacity of Columns using Bamboo culms from species in Thailand

Abstract

Bamboo has played more and more significant role in modern day architecture because of its sustainable contribution, and also simply responds to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. To promote more uses, bamboo still is uncertain for architects and designers on structural capacity. Bamboo architecture have been created by playing safe using over-structure or making a rough estimate. It should be important to design structure more precisely and properly. This research is the experimentation of using bamboo in column application. It is distinctive that bamboo architecture is quite different from typical structure using post and beams. Bamboo structure can be unclear on whether it is post or beam, rather they are truss frame. Then column design will become a critical factor. This research then looks into the column capacity of 5 Thai bamboo species. They are all species that mostly use for structural applications in Thailand. They were measured for physical properties, and tested for structural capacity in compression loads. The result show that they have various sizes that affect the structural capacity directly. Interestingly, most of them have relatively similar thickness. The test obviously confirms the bigger culm can receive more load. It showed that D.Giganteus can receive the most load, due to its sizes, and B.multiplex offered the least load. However, when formulating test result into per unit of section area and diameter, D.sericeus can received the most compression. In overall per unit section area, Dendrocalamus family perform better than Bambusa family. Moreover, when calculating compression load in unit diameter, it is also interesting that all species can relatively receive similar load per centimeter of culm diameter. In conclusion, it is confirmed that sizes of culms are proportioned to compression capacity, and if size is not the factor, Dendrocalamus family is doing better than Bambusa family. The research still uses computer model to calculate the applicability of bamboo column strength, and four species are working, except B.Multiplex. In that case, bundling with more culm can be further investigated. The benefit to this research is to promote more proper uses of bamboo species in column application, and as well promote to have more sustainable architecture.