BAMBOO AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

BambooConstruction
Company
INTRODUCTION :
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• Bamboo has been in wide usage since
ancient times as a low-cost material
for houses, bridges etc.

• Recently started appearing in

designer homes as flooring, walling
and paneling material

• Bamboo is a renewable and versatile

resource, characterized by high
strength and low weight.
• It is estimated that there are 1200
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species growing in about 14.5 million
hectares area.

• Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing

woody plant. It grows approximately
7.5 to 40 cm a day.

• Bamboo also excels in biomass

production, giving 40 tons or more
per hectare annually.

• It has been used successfully to

rehabilitate soil ravage by brick
PROPERTIES :
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• TENSILE STRENGTH
• COMPRESIVE
STRENGTH
• ELASTIC MODULUS
• ANISOTROPIC
PROPERTY
• SHRINKAGE
HOW TO PROTECT BAMBOO:
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UNTREATED BAMBOO
• Untreated bamboo has the following life spans in different
conditions
– Exposure to soil and atmosphere = 1-3 years
– Under cover = 4-7 years
– Very favourable conditions = 10-15 years
•Natural durability also depends on the species of the bamboo.
PRE-HARVEST AND POST HARVESTPRECAUTIONS
• Felling during low sugar content season i.e. dry season
• Felling of mature bamboo
• Post harvesting transpiration
• Water soaking
DIFFERENT PRESERVATION TREATMENTS :
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 BORAX – BORICACID PRESERVATION TREATMENT

Depending on the At the preservation

diameter of the bamboo, treatment pool, bamboo
different sized drill bits, Bamboo is removed
soaks in borax-boric acid
attached to a long steel and stacked vertically
solution for 2 days to allow
rod, are used to drill into so the solution can
the mineral to penetrate all
the centre of the bamboo drain and be reused.
the nodes and diaphragms.
culms throughout their
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Next, the bamboo

The bamboo poles are
poles are left to left to dry slowly in a
bask in the sun cool, dry place until
depending on the they are used for
amount of sunlight. construction.
 NEEM SEEDOIL TREATMENT :
• Oil obtained from neem SlideMaster
90

seeds can be used to improve 80

water resistance and
70
dimensional stability of
60
bamboo culms particularly at
high oil-treatment 50

temperature. 40

30
• Bamboo samples soaked in
20
hot neem seed oil at 60°C for
4 hours had better water 10

resistance and dimensional 0

stability than samples soaked Longitudinally Radially Tangentially

in oil at room temperature for Soaked bamboo samples at room temperature for 24
hours
24 hours. Soaked bamboo samples at 60°C for 4
PROTECTION OF BAMBOO IN CASe OF BAMBOO REINFORCED
STRUCTURES: SlideMaster
 During the casting and curing of
concrete, reinforcing bamboo absorbs
water and expands
 The swelling of bamboo pushes the
concrete away
 Then at the end of the curing period, the
bamboo loses the moisture and shrinks
back almost to its original dimensions
leaving voids around itself

 The swelling and shrinkage of bamboo in concrete create a serious limitation

in the use of bamboo as a substitute for steel in concrete.

 One effective treatment is the application of a thin layer of epoxy to the

bamboo surface followed by a coating of fine sand.
BAMBOOHOUSING :
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The majority of bamboo
construction relates to the rural
community needs in developing
countries.

common types of construction

include farm and school
buildings and bridges.

Further applications of bamboo

relevant to construction include
its use as scaffolding, water
piping and as shuttering and
reinforcement for concrete.
FOUNDATIONS :
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The use of bamboo for foundation is
rather restricted.
• The types of bamboo foundations
identified are:
• Bamboo in direct ground contact:
• For strength and stability, large
diameter and thick walled sections of
bamboo with closely spaced nodes
should be used. Preformed concrete
• Bamboo on rock or preformed footings
concrete footings : Where bamboo is
being used for bearings, it should be
placed out of ground contact on
footings of either rock or preformed
concrete.
Bamboo incorporated in to
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concrete footings : The poles
are directly fit into concrete
footing.This can be single
post and strip footing.
Composite Single Post footing
bamboo/concrete
columns: a concrete
extension is given to a
bamboo post using a
plastic tube of the same Strip Footing
diameter.
Bamboo piles: It is used to
stabilize soft soils and reduce
building settlement.

Bamboo Piles
FLOORING:
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The floors may be at ground level, and therefore
consists only of compacted earth, with or
without a covering of bamboo matting.

Bamboo Cane Floor Decking

• The various types used are:

• Small bamboo culms:

They are directly tied and nailed together.

• Split bamboo:
Culms are split along their length into strips,
several centimeters wide. Split Bamboo Floor Decking

• Flattened bamboo:
Formed by splitting green bamboo culms
removing the diaphragms, then rolling and flattening
them.
Flattened Bamboo Floor Decking
• Bamboo mats:
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The slivers are woven into mats of
different sizes according to the available
hot-press plates and user’s demands.
In construction using
bamboo mats, phenolic resins are
employed.
• Bamboo plastic composites:
BAMBOO MAT
It is an innovative technology in which
bamboo fiber is the raw material and
compounded with plastic as the core
material of the flooring.
The ratio of plastic should be
over 30% for higher water resistance and
dimensional stability.
BAMBOOWALLS :
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WOVEN VERTICAL
BAMBOOWALL HALVED CULMS BAJAREQUE

WHOLEBAMBOO
CULMS WATTLE
ROOFING :
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The roof offers protection against
extremes of weather including rain, sun
and wind, and to provide shelter, clear
and usable space beneath the canopy.
• The simplest form consists of a
bamboo purlin and beams, Simplest Form
supported on perimeter posts.
• Corrugated sheets made out of bamboo
are also used commonly as roof covering.
• A layer of bitumen is sandwiched
between two mats of bamboo forming a
semi rigid panel.
• Plastered bamboo: A cement plaster, with
or without the addition of organic fibres, Corrugated Sheets Bituminised Bamboo Mats
is traditionally applied to bamboo roofs,
SCAFFOLDING :
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• Because of the favourable relationship between
load-bearing capacity and weight, bamboo can
be used for the construction of save
scaffoldings even for very tall buildings.
• The cane extension is carried out by lashing the
cane ends together with several ties.
• The vertical and horizontal canes used for
scaffolding are almost exclusively joined using
soft lashing.
• This technique has the great advantage that the
joints can be re-tensioned to the right degree
without difficulty and also quickly released
again.
BAMBOO REINFORCED CONCRETE :
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 COMPARISON OF BAMBOO AND STEEL

The strength of bamboo is greater than steel.

Bamboo is easily accessible

Bamboo lowers the cost of construction

Bamboo can crack and deflect more than

Bamboo Reinforced Column
steel
reinforcement.
RESISTANCETO EARTHQUAKES
•
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High residual strength to absorb shocks
and impacts.
• Flexure coupled with its very low mass.

• A bamboo house that withstood

an earthquake that occurred at
Sikkim measuring 6.9 in
September 2011
• Prototype house built with bamboo
sheet roofing and bamboo-reinforced • 30 houses at the epicenter of a
concrete walls withstood a simulated 7.6 magnitude earthquake
earthquake measuring 7.8 on the survived without any damage in
Richter scale Costa Rica in 1991
ADVANTAGES:
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 Strength - Bamboo is an extremely strong natural fibre,
on par with standard hardwoods, when cultivated,
harvested, prepared and stored properly.

 Flexibility - Bamboo is highly flexible. During its

growth, it may be trained to grow in unconventional
shapes. After harvest, it may be bent and utilized in
archways and other curved areas.

 Earthquake-resistance - It has a great capacity for shock

absorption, which makes it particularly useful in
earthquake-prone areas.
 Lightweight - Bamboo is extremely lightweight. Consequently,
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building with bamboo can be accomplished faster with simple
tools than building with other materials. Cranes and other heavy
machinery are rarely required.
 Cost-effective – Economical, especially in areas where it is
cultivated and is readily available. Transporting cost is also much
lesser.
 Durability - As long-lasting as its wooden correlates, when
properly harvested and maintained.
Limitations and SlideMaster
draw back s :
 Few considerations currently limit the use of bamboo as a universally
applicable construction material
 Jointing techniques - Although many traditional joint types exist, their
structural efficiency is low. Considerable research has been directed at
the development of more effective methods.

 Flammability - Bamboo structures are not fire-resistant, and the cost of

treatment, where available, is relatively high.

 Lack of design guidance and codification - The engineering design of

bamboo structures has not yet been fully addressed. There is little or no
data containing specifications of bamboo.
IMPLEMENTATI
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