Webinar: Structural use of bamboo culms (Part 1)

This webinar is part of the series ‘Bamboo: A Very Sustainable Construction Material’. It is a registered event. Meeting links will be sent to the provided email account of registered participants after the registration deadline. Registered participants who complete at least three sessions of the seminar will be able to get a Certificate of Participation issued by INBAR.

Session 2: Structural use of bamboo culms (Part 1)

Speaker: Kent Harries, Professor of the University of Pittsburgh

Topic: Full-culm bamboo as a full-fledged engineering material

This paper provides an overview of the activities of the recently completed US National Science Foundation funded project Full-Culm Bamboo as a Full-Fledged Engineering Material. The project, completed in August 2020, is a collaboration between teams at the Universities of Pittsburgh and Puerto Rico Mayaguez. The study combined experimental and analytical techniques to develop a framework and the computational tools required to evaluate material and mechanical properties of bamboo in its full-culm form. A numerical model of bamboo as a transversely isotropic material with functionally graded material properties in the radial direction was developed. The random field method was introduced as a means of quantifying the measured uncertainty of bamboo with respect to its mechanical characterization.

Speaker: Andry Widyowijatnoko, Architect and Lecturer at Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia

Topic: From traditional to engineered to substitutive bamboo construction

Abstract: Traditional or vernacular bamboo construction was developed by utilizing specific characteristics of bamboo, in the places where bamboo grows natively. The most common connections were lashing plus dowels. Adopted bolted-joints solved the limitation of lashing and dowel connection to unify more than two layers of bamboo. It bolstered the development of bamboo construction to bigger structures. Combining with truss system, this joint shaped the form of engineered bamboo construction. Apart from these ‘conventional’ constructions, bamboo is used to substitute other materials. The developments in this substitutive bamboo construction were more in the joinery rather than in the building design.

Speaker: Sebastian Kaminski, Senior Structural Engineer of Arup

Topic: Designing durable bamboo structures: how to protect against rot and insect attack

Unprotected and untreated bamboo is very susceptible to rot and insect attack, primarily beetles and termites. When not considered properly in design, a bamboo structure may only have a few years of life. However, when bamboo is treated and used properly in a structure, it can last indefinitely. This presentation will describe the main causes of deterioration of bamboo, and the various techniques that can be used to design very durable bamboo buildings.

Moderators:

Pablo Jácome Estrella: Regional Coordinator for Latin America and Caribbean of INBAR

David Trujillo: Chair of INBAR Construction Task Force, Assistant Professor at Coventry University

You can watch the recording on YouTube: