Bamboo as a Sustainable Building Material—Culm Characteristics and Properties

Kitti Chaowana, Supanit Wisadsatorn and Pannipa Chaowana
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Kitti Chaowana: School of Languages and General Education, Walailak University, Nakhonsithammarat 80160, Thailand
Supanit Wisadsatorn: School of Architecture and Design, Walailak University, Nakhonsithammarat 80160, Thailand
Pannipa Chaowana: School of Engineering and Technology, Walailak University, Nakhonsithammarat 80160, Thailand

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-18

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.

Keywords: bamboo culm; sustainable natural material; building material; culm characteristics; physical and mechanical properties (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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