BAMBOO

BAMBOO

1. Introduction

2. Parts
3. Classification & Anatomy
4. Properties

5. Preservation
6. Tools
7. Uses In construction
8. Foundation
9. Floors
10. Walls
11. Roofs
12. Details
 BAMBOO
 Bamboos are perennial plants
come under the true grass
family.
 Bamboo grows everywhere,
from cold to hot tropical
climates.
 Fastest growing plants on earth
with growth rate per day varying
between 1- 10 cm to 100 cm
 Diameter of the poles are 5-15-
30(in cm.) for small ,medium and
large species.
 Same family as that of rice, corn
& sugar cane.
 Its cell structure & other
properties are similar to that of
wood.
 Difference- outer hard and inner
soft – vice versa for wood
 BAMBOO DISTRIBUTION
 The main area of distribution
are the tropics, in particular,
South East-Asia.
 Bamboo grow at sea level
and can be found at
altitudes of up to 3800 m.
 Most bamboo species grow
at temperatures from 28°C
to +50°C.
 Bamboos grow mainly on
sandy loam to loamy clay
soils.
 They prefer well drained
soils but grow also in wet
and even marshy locations.
 They do not tolerate saline
soils.
 BAMBOO-Grass or Tree?
• The growth pattern of the bamboos is a singular
combination of grass, leaf- bearing tree and
palm.
• Like the grasses they have tubular blades, lancet
shaped cover leaves and panicular flowers and
from a subterranean rootstock branch
extensively to form dense to loose bushes.
• The following characteristics distinguish
bamboos from grasses:
• The longevity of their canes,
• Their branching and lignification (process of
turning into wood or wood like).
• Increase their crown every year by throwing out
new branches and also shed their leaves each
year.
• The growth pattern of the trunk is similar to that
of the palm tree. Emerging with its definitive
circumference from the soil without increasing
in diameter later.
 PARTS
 Rhizome - Rootstalk from where roots
shoots
 Bud - From where vertical growth
starts
 Culm - Woody hollow aerial stems of
bamboo
 Node - Node is the part of the stem of
the plant from which leaves, branches, and
aerial roots emerge. The distance between
each node is called the inter node.
 CLASSIFICATION: 3 TYPES

 Monopodial or Running:- Rhizome grows horizontally in one direction

 Symbodial or Clumping:- Horizontally over short distances then in circles.
 Climbing :- With thin stem & broad leaves grows irregularly into thickets, needs
support like creepers.
CLASSIFICATION

MONOPODIAL

SYMBODIAL

CLIMBING
BAMBOO – PROPERTIES - TERMS

 Compressive strength –
resistance to axial push.
 Tensile strength- resistant to
axial pull.
 Hardness – resistance to
scratch and mechanical
impacts.
 Abrasion – resistance to
rubbing, scraping or erosion.
 Slip resistance
 BAMBOO – PROPERTIES - TERMS
Tensile strength:
 The fibers of the bamboo run axially. In the
outer zone has the highest tensile strength due
to the vascular bundle present there.
 The tensile strength of these fibers is higher
than that of steel, but its not possible to
construct connections that will have same
tensile strength.
Shrinking:
 Bamboo shrinks more than wood when it loses
water. Shrinkage in the cross section is abt. 10-
16 %,while in the wall thickness abt. 15-17 %.
Fire resistance:
 Bamboo has good fire resistance due to high
content of silicate. If its filled with water it can
withstand up to 400° C.
Elasticity:
 Due to its good elastic properties bamboo is
much preferred in earth- quake regions
 BAMBOO – STORAGE
 Storage Poles should be stored
horizontally and supported at
frequent intervals so that they
can neither sag nor bend.
 They should be protected against
sun, rain and soil moisture. There
are two possibilities for drying
the bamboo canes.
 The air-drying process with good
air circulation takes 6 - 12 weeks.
 The kiln-drying process takes
only 2 - 3 weeks.
 But some species of Bamboo do
not tolerate quick drying.
 The bark develops cracks or the
poles split axially.
 BAMBOO – SURFACE PROTECTION
 The surface of the bamboo can alone be treated depending on the
intended use.
 There are two widely used surface treatments for bamboo,
1. Bleaching and
2. Dyeing Bleaching
 Hydrogen peroxide solution is used to remove traces of resins or wax
DYEING
 Dyeing using preferred colour in vinegar is done after bleaching the
bamboo.
1. Natural Vs Bleached Poles
2. Dyed Bamboo Poles
 In Japan, the surface of bamboo is peeled off and hydrochlorid acid is
poured in.
 Then the canes are put inside an oven and heated, till the canes become
brown.
 Similarly treating the canes with copper sulfate will give them a green
colour and protects them from mould.
 The above mentioned methods color only the surface.
 For the color to penetrate through, the bamboo can be carbonised. The
bamboo is put in a boiler with a pressure of 5 kg/cm³ and a temperature
of 150° C for 20-30 min.
 The canes treated with this method will be brown in color.
BAMBOO – USES IN CONSTRUCTION

Construction
 For shelters from Foundation,
 Walls,
 Flooring to roofing .
 Bridges,
 As scaffoldings
Interior Applications
 Lamps,
 Furniture ,
 Water supply lines etc.
Miscellaneous
 Food
 Art
 Plant
 Tools
BAMBOO – TYPES OF BAMBOO FOUNDATIONS

The types of bamboo foundation identified are:

 Bamboo in direct ground contact

 Bamboo on rock or preformed concrete footings
 Bamboo incorporated into concrete footings
 Composite bamboo/concrete columns
 Bamboo piles
BAMBOO IN DIRECT GROUND CONTACT
 Bamboo, either on the surface or buried, can decay within six months
to two years.
 Preservative treatment is therefore recommended.
 For strength and stability , large diameter thick walled sections of
bamboo with closely spaced nodes should be used.
 Where these are not available, smaller sections can be tied together.
 BAMBOO ON ROCK OR PREFORMED
CONCRETE FOOTINGS
 Ideally, where bamboo is being used for bearings it should be placed out of
ground contact on footings of
1. either rock or
2. preformed concrete
BAMBOO INCORPORATED INTO CONCRETE
FOOTINGS
 The third approach is to incorporate the bamboo directly into the concrete
footing.
 This can take the form of single posts or strip footings
COMPOSITE BAMBOO/CONCRETE COLUMNS

•An innovative development involves the casting of concrete extension to a

bamboo post using a plastic tube of the same diameter.
•The result is a bamboo post with an integral, durable foundation.
  Bamboo piles
•Foundations Bamboo piles
have been used successfully
to stabilise soft soils and
reduce building settlement.
In the example cited (Stulz,
1983), treated split bamboo
piles 8m long and 80 to
90mm in diameter were filled
with coconut coir strands
wrapped with jute. The
sections were then tied with
wire.
•fter installation of the piles
at 2m centres by drop
hammer, the area was
covered with a 2.5m
surcharge of sandy material.
 BAMBOO - FLOORS

Bamboo building can have

1) Compacted mud floor with or without bamboo matting or
2) Elevated bamboo floors with min 500mm gap between ground and
floor for inspection

Bamboo floors consists of two components

1) Structural bamboo elements

2) Bamboo decking
 BAMBOO - FLOORS
Floors Structural bamboo
elements like columns and
beams are done with poles of
100mm dia.
Bamboo floors can be of any
one of the following

1. Joist with primary members

2. Joist with primary &

Secondary members
1. Joist with primary members

2. Joist with primary &

Secondary members
BAMBOO - Floors Bamboo floor decking can be
of the following

1. Small bamboo culms

2. Split bamboo culms
3. Flattened bamboo
4. Woven mats
5. Bamboo panels
6. Bamboo parquettes
1. Small bamboo culms
•Smaller diameter culms are
tied/nailed to the joists
2. Split bamboo culms
•Culms are split into 3-4 cm
wide stripes and tied/nailed
to joists or battens specially
fixed for this purpose.
3. Flattened bamboo
culms
These are formed by splitting green
bamboo culms, removing the
diaphragms then unrolling and
flattening them. The resulting
board is laid across the joists
and fixed by nailing or tying
4. Woven mats
Woven mats Mats should not be
fixed by direct nailing, but are held
in place by bamboo strips or timber
battens tied or nailed over the top.
This is one of the easiest types of
traditional floor to keep clean.
5. Bamboo panels
panels Layers of woven mats
or strips, laid at right angles,
are bonded together into
boards using resins and
pressure and thermal
processes .These are then
nailed to the joists
6. Bamboo parquettes
Parquettes Thin slivers or mats of
bamboo are formed into multi-
layered tiles and laid on treated
bamboo or wooden strips fixed to
compacted earth or a concrete
sub-floor.
 BAMBOO - WALLS

•The most extensive use of bamboo in construction is

for walls and partitions. The major elements of a
bamboo wall (posts and beams) generally constitute
part of the structural framework.

• As such they are required to carry the self-weight of

the building and also loadings imposed by the
occupants, the weather and, occasionally, earthquakes.
efficient and adequate jointing is of primary importance
.
 BAMBOO - WALLS
Walls This infill can take many forms:

1. Whole or halved bamboo culms, with

or without bamboo mats
2. Split or flattened bamboo, with mats
and/or plaster
3. Bajareque
4. Wattle (wattle and daub, lath and
plaster, quincha)
5. Woven bamboo, with or without plaster
Bamboo panels
 1.Whole or halved bamboo culms, with or without bamboo mats.

•The preferred orientation is

vertical as this increases the shear
resistance of the wall and is also
better for drying after rain. Vertical
members can be driven directly
into the ground or fixed back to
beams by tying with or without
facing battens Halved culms can be
fixed in the same way, either as a
single or double ply construction,
or anchored between horizontal
halved culms Woven bamboo mats
can be attached to one or both
faces using tied or nailed bamboo
battens.
 2. Split or flattened bamboo

Flattened Bamboo. Split or

flattened Split or flattened can be
a) fixed vertically to intermediate
bamboo members tied to or
mortised into the posts, or b) fixed
horizontally directly to the posts.
Boards can be stretched or covered
by wire mesh to provide a suitable
surface for plastering. Closely
woven matting can also be applied
to the board surface, with or
without plaster.
 3. Bajareque

This is a type of construction

commonly employed in Latin
America. It consists of horizontal
bamboo strips tied or nailed to
both sides of the posts. The cavity
is then filled with mud or mud and
stones, producing a relatively
massive form of construction.
 4. Wattle

Common in parts of India, Peru

and Chile, this comprises coarsely
woven panels of bamboo strips
(vertical weft and horizontal warp),
plastered on both sides
 ROOFS

• Bamboo can be uses as a structural component or as roof covering.

Trusses assembled at site or done and erected form the structural component.
• Bamboo roof coverings can form an integral part of the structure, as in the case
of overlapping halved culms.
• More often, they are non-structural in function.

Examples include:

1. Bamboo tiles
2. Bamboo shingles
3. Bamboo mats
4. Corrugated bamboo roofing sheets
5. Plastered bamboo
 1. Bamboo tiles

•Bamboo Tiles These can take

the form of halved, inter nodal
culm sections, fixed to battens
and overlapped in a similar
manner to the full length
halved culms.

•Roofs covered in this manner

are susceptible to leakage.
 2. Bamboo shingles

• Shingles, measuring 30-40mm

wide x internodal length (400-
600mm) are cut from green
culms, 70mm or more in diameter
and then air dried.
• The shingles are hooked onto
bamboo battens (maximum
spacing 150mm by means of a
tongue cut into the underside.
• Three laps are required to make
a roof
• watertight, requiring some 200
shingles per square metre. •
BAMBOO SHINGLES
Nailing may need to be
considered if high winds are Iikely.
3. Bamboo mats 4. Corrugated Bamboo sheets

A PF resin is applied to bamboo mats to

form a five layer set which is then hot
pressed between corrugated platens.
UF resin bonded sheets overlaid with
PF resin impregnated paper have also
been produced. These products are
strong and lightweight with good
insulation properties
BAMBOO ROOF STRUCTURE DETAIL

Possible roof framing structure by using

traditional forms of construction
•As with cut roofs, truss
configurations are many and
various. The King-post and Fink are
the simplest,readily spanning 4m
using traditional jointing .
•Culm diameters typically range
from 40-l 00mm. Janssen (1995) has King –post truss
achieved an 8m span using
improved jointing.
•The pitch of the truss should be at
least 30° in areas of high rainfall
•Truss spacings are consistent with
the use of bamboo purlins (2-3m).
•Needless to say, for both cut and Flink truss
trussed types of roof, the applied
loads must be considered and, for
trusses in particular, the design
justified by test. In-plane stability is
another primary consideration; this
is usually provided by diagonal
bracing members.
Janssen truss (1995)
JOINERY DETAILS
Bamboo canes connection with lashing ties and a draw stick – with
the help of the draw stick the lashing tie is tightened.
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