Mechanical Properties of Engineered Bamboo Boards for Glubam Structures

Glued laminated bamboo (glubam) is a type of engineered bamboo that resembles timber-based glued laminated lumber (glulam). The glubam components are made by laminating 20- to 40-mm-thick engineered bamboo boards; thus, the performance is determined by the quality and properties of the laminated boards. A comprehensive testing program was conducted on typical engineered bamboo boards. The experiments were performed according to the general requirements given by international standards; however, the size of specimens and loading jigs were redesigned according to the modular thickness of typical bamboo boards. Mechanical behaviors and failure modes of the specimens under 15 stress conditions are reported, along with the surface strain distribution recorded through digital image correlation (DIC). A simple design-oriented axial stress–strain model is proposed, and strength values, including the corresponding coefficient of variance (COV), are calculated and provided. A comparison of characteristic strength values between engineered bamboo and typical wood products is also given in this research.