Experimental Study on Uniaxial Compression of Bamboo Nodes Using 3D Scanning Technique

Bamboo is a kind of ecological building material for its physical and mechanical characteristics, such as fast growth, high yield, high strength, high toughness and good environmental performance. However, there are few studies on the influence of bamboo node structure about the mechanical properties of bamboo, and it is difficult to accurately determine the cross-section area of the bamboo node. In this paper, the three-dimensional scanner was combined with the reverse modeling technology to accurately obtain the cross-sectional area of the bamboo node. The bamboo node was subjected to axial compression test. Based on the experimental results, it was confirmed that the compressive strength of the bamboo node increased from the bottom to the top. The experimental results also showed that the difference in the degree of cracks has an effect on the bamboo break mode. Bamboo nodes with severe cracks and uneven distribution on the surface had the largest degree of expansion at the original deep cracks or the original surface through cracks. Bamboo nodes with slight cracks and even distribution or without cracks on the surface were uniformly expanding at the lower part when they were broken.