Bamboo As Building Material

BAMBOO AS BUILDING MATERIAL
With the current consumption of natural resources there is a dire need of

renewable and versatile resource for various purposes. Lots of construction
materials are required for a building or transport construction. These materials
consume lots of natural resources. According to work by the OECD, natural
resource consumption in the construction industry has increased 80% since 1980
compared to a 60% increase in overall resource consumption. The rate of
consumption has accelerated since 2000. Therefore, we should work for finding
suitable replacement for various construction materials.
The diminishing wood resource and restrictions imposed on cutting of natural
forests, particularly in the tropics, the world’s attention focuses on the need to
identify a substitute building material that should be renewable, environment
friendly and widely available. In view of its rapid growth, a ready adaptability to
most climatic conditions and properties, superior to most fast-growing wood,
bamboo is a very suitable alternative.
Bamboo is a renewable and versatile resource, characterized by high strength and
low weight, and is easily worked using simple tools. It is a traditional building
material throughout the world’s tropical and sub-tropical regions, mainly
housing. It is also widely recognized as one of the most important non-timber
forest resources due to the high socio-economic benefits from bamboo-based
products. It is also good in biomass production.
Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing woody plant. It grows three times faster
than most other species. It grows approximately 7.5 to 40cm a day, with world
record being 1.2m in 24 hours in Japan. Species of bamboo which are
commercially used usually mature in 4-5 years’ time, after which multiple
harvests are possible every second year, for up to 120 years in some species and
indefinitely in others. It is estimated that there are 1200 species of bamboo. Most
of them grow in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Bamboo building construction is characterized by a structural frame approach

similar to that applied in traditional timber frame design and construction. In this
case, the floor, the wall, the roof elements are all interconnected and often one
dependent on the other for overall stability. The use of bamboo for foundation is
rather restricted mainly due to the fact that when in contact with damp ground,
they deteriorate and decay very quickly unless treated with some very effective
preservatives. The most extensive use of bamboo in construction is for the walls
and partitions. The major elements, the posts and beams, generally constitute part
or structural framework. The roof offers protection against extremes of weather.
Above all it must be strong enough to resist the considerable forces generated by
wind and roof coverings. In this respect, bamboo is ideal as a roofing material.
Bamboo can play an important part in reducing housing problems across the
globe.
MAIN PROPERTIES OF BAMBOO

TENSILE STRENGTH
Bamboo is able to resist more tension than compression. The fibres of bamboo
run axially are of highly elastic vascular bundle that has a high tensile strength
even higher than that of steel, but it’s not possible to construct connections that
can transfer this tensile strength. Slimmer tubes are superior in this aspect too.
Inside the silicate outer skin, axial parallel elastically fibres with a tensile strength
up to 400 N/mm2 can be found. As a comparison, extremely strong wood fibres
can resist a tension up to 50 N /mm2.
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
Compared to the bigger tubes, slimmer ones have got, in relation to their cross-
section, a higher compressive strength value. The slimmer tubes possess better
material properties due to the fact that bigger tubes have got a minor part of the
outer skin, which is very resistant in tension. The portion of lignin inside the
culms affects compressive strength, whereas the high portion of cellulose
influences the buckling and the tensile strength as it represents the building
substance of the bamboo fibres.
ELASTIC MODULUS
The accumulation of highly strong fibres in the outer parts of the tube wall also
work positive in connection with the elastic modulus like it does for the tension,
shear and bending strength. The higher the elastic modulus, the higher is the
quality of the bamboo. Enormous elasticity makes it a very useful building
material in areas with very high risks of earthquakes.
ANISOTROPIC PROPERTIES
Bamboo is an anisotropic material. Properties in the longitudinal direction are
completely different from those in the transversal direction. There are cellulose
fibres in the longitudinal direction, which is strong and stiff and in the transverse
direction there is lignin, which is soft and brittle.
SHRINKAGE
Bamboo shrinks more than wood when it loses water. The canes can tear apart at
the nodes. Bamboo shrinks in a cross section of 10-16 % and a wall thickness of
15-17 %. Therefore, it is necessary to take necessary measures to prevent water
loss when used as a building material.
FIRE RESISTANCE
The fire resistance is very good because of the high content of silicate acid. Filled
up with water, it can stand a temperature of 400° C while the water cooks inside.
BAMBOO IS USEFUL FOR DIFFERENT

PURPOSES AT DIFFERENT AGE:
 <30 days it is good for eating.
 6-9 months for baskets.
 2-3 years for bamboo boards and laminations
 3-6 years for construction
 >6 years bamboo gradually losses strength upto12 years.
WHY BAMBOO IS USED AS A BUILDING

MATERIAL?
1) It is fastest-growing renewable natural building material.
2) The material is easily available, Eco friendly and easily workable.
3) Bamboo is a viable (if not better!) alternative for steel, concrete and
masonry as an independent building material.
4) It is cost effective and easy to work.
5) It can easily bend, give desired shape and can provide joints to suit the
construction.
6) Its enormous elasticity makes it a very useful building material in areas
with very high risks of earthquakes.
BAMBOO AS A BUILDING MATERIAL

1) FOUNDATION
For use as foundation, the bamboo poles are directly driven into the ground.
They have to, however, be pre-treated for protection from rot and fungi. This
prolongs the life of the foundation beyond that of a bamboo pole.
2) BAMBOO ROOFING
It consists of bamboo truss or rafters over which solid bamboo purlins are laid
and lashed to the rafter by means of G.I.wire. A mesh of halved bamboo is
made and is lashed to the purlins to cover the roof.
3) SCAFFOLDING
Bamboo poles lashed together are used as scaffolding in high rise structures
due to their strength and resilience. The timber planks can be replaced with
bamboo culms and these can be lashed to the vertical columns.
4) FLOORING
Bamboo can be used as flooring material due to its better wear and tear
resistance and its resilience properties. Whole culms act as frame work and
the floor covering is done using split bamboo, bamboo boards, mats etc by
means of wire lashing these to the frame.
5) BAMBOO TRUSSES
The bamboo has strength comparable to that of Teak and Sal. A frame is made
using bamboo rafters, purlins etc for fixing the roof.
6) WALLS
The most extensive use of bamboo in construction is for the walls and
partitions. The major elements, the posts and beams, generally constitute part
or structural framework. They are to carry the self-weight of building and
loads imposed by the occupants and the weather. An infill between framing
members is required to complete the wall.
ADVANTAGES OF BAMBOO
 It is Light, strong and versatile.
 It is environment friendly.
 Easily accessible to the poor
 Self-renewable resource of the poor
 Speedily growing
 Highly productive
 Low cost material
DISADVANTAGES OF BAMBOO
 Requires preservation
 Shaped by nature
 Durability–bamboo is subjected to attack by fungi, insects; for this
reason, untreated bamboo structures are viewed as temporary with an
expected life of not more than 5 years.
 Jointing–although many jointing techniques exist, their structural
efficiency is low.
 Lack of design guidance and codes
 Prone to catch fire very fast by the friction among the culms during
wind, and is seen to cause forest fires.
BAMBOO IS STRONGER THAN STEEL

Bamboo has been used in the construction field for a long time, even before its
tensile strength was known.
So now people are talking to replace steel by bamboo. This is basically done
because of two reasons:
1) Since bamboo has a strength-to-weight ratio similar to mild steel, some people
conflate this with actual strength.
2) A few laboratory tests have shown some parts of some species of some culms
to have ultimate strengths in tension approaching mild steel (250N/mm2)
The production of steel has a lot of drawbacks like high costs, atmospheric
pollution, and environmental degradation.
The bamboo, on the other hand, can be produced at very low costs and has various
environmental benefits.
However, we cannot use bamboo to replace steel directly as the tensile strength
alone is not enough. Even though bamboo is found to be stronger and stiffer than
other construction materials, it has its own disadvantages as stated above.
Extensive research is already underway to eliminate all these shortcomings and

boost the existing properties of bamboo. These studies focus on the mechanical
and physical properties of the plant and on finding the species that are most
useful.
Submitted by:
Nikunj Gautam
180481
References:
1. https://www.quora.com/What-proportion-of-the-worlds-
natural-resources-are-used-by-the-construction-industry
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_construction
3. https://www.krishisanskriti.org/vol_image/03Jul201502074415
.pdf
4. https://interestingengineering.com/bamboo-as-a-replacement-
to-steel
5. http://civilenggseminar.blogspot.com/2011/09/bamboo-as-
building-material.html
6. https://www.ripublication.com/ijcer_spl/ijcerv5n3spl_08.pdf

Bamboo As Building Material

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Bamboo As Building Material

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BAMBOO AS BUILDING MATERIAL

With the current consumption of natural resources there is a dire need of

Bamboo building construction is characterized by a structural frame approach

MAIN PROPERTIES OF BAMBOO

BAMBOO IS USEFUL FOR DIFFERENT

WHY BAMBOO IS USED AS A BUILDING

BAMBOO AS A BUILDING MATERIAL

BAMBOO IS STRONGER THAN STEEL

Extensive research is already underway to eliminate all these shortcomings and

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