Determining Material Suitability for Low-Rise Housing in the Philippines: Physical and Mechanical Properties of the Bamboo Species Bambusa Blumeana
Authors
C. Salzer
Holger Wallbaum, Chalmers University of Technology
Marina Alipon
Luis Felipe López, Base Bahay Foundation Inc.
Abstract
The use of cellulosic materials in the construction of low-rise housing in tropical climates has great potential. Bambusa blumeana (B. blumeana, J.A. and J.H. Schultes), the most abundantly available bamboo species in the Philippines, is a promising alternative material for the construction of cost-efficient buildings. However, to comply with municipal rules and regulations for construction, a comprehensive understanding of the organic raw material is needed to permit its application as a load-bearing structural member. In this study, the physical and mechanical properties of B. blumeana bamboo from a typical growth region of the Philippines were tested according to ISO 22157-1 (2004) and ISO 22157-2 (2004). The characteristic strength values of B. blumeana were as follows: compressive and tensile strengths parallel to the grain of 20 and 95 MPa, respectively; shear strength of 5 MPa, bending strength of 34.6 MPa, and the mean and fifth percentile modulus of elasticity of 13100 and 8600 MPa, respectively. Based on these results, a recommendation for permissible stresses for structural design was made in line with ISO 22156 (2004).
