Compression resistance of bamboo culms for structural grading of Dendrocalamus sericeus Munro

Abstract

Bamboo is a natural material with the potential for sustainable construction. However, uncertainty in the bearing capacity of the bamboo results in nonstandard values for structural engineering design. This study develops the structural grading of Dendrocalamus sericeus Munro, subjected to axial compression to determine the correlated non-destructive indicating properties,i.e., outer diameter, culm wall thickness, eccentricity, density, and linear mass. From the statistical test values, density and linear mass are the best indicating properties for compression stress and ultimate load with the correlation coefficient (r) of 0.54 – 0.62 and 0.88 – 0.89. From the study results, the compressive strength of the bamboo can be predicted for structural design when the  density and the linear mass are known.