Mode II fracture mechanics of moso bamboo for application in novel engineering materials

Abstract

Bamboo has been used as a structural material for thousands of years. Recently there has been increasing interest in its use as a modem construction material. In this study, as part of a larger project to characterize the mechanical properties of Moso bamboo for application in the production of structural bamboo products (SBP), end-notched flexure (ENF) tests and three-point bending tests were performed to obtain the mode II interlaminar toughness (GIIc) and longitudinal Young's modulus (EL). It was found that known values for GIIc, include the pith (innermost layer) and cortex (outermost layer) of the bamboo culm in their calculations. The resulting value is, to a statistically significant degree (t = 5.0 x 10⁶), higher than that with the pith and cortex removed, as they typically will be in processing SBP. A new value, GIIc, = 630 +/- 155 J/m² , was established for specimens lacking the pith and cortex. Although no correlation was found between GIIc, and specimen density, it is suspected that a relationship does exist, and recommendations for further investigation are given.