Mechanical Performance of Glue-Pressed Engineered Honeycomb Bamboo under Axial Compression

Abstract

In this study, glue-pressed engineered honeycomb bamboo (GPEHB) was prepared, and the dependence of the compressive properties of the produced GPEHB on the load–slenderness ratio, longitudinal strain–slenderness ratio, and ultimate strain–slenderness ratio was examined. The detailed failure modes were also investigated. The main failure modes of the short GPEHB specimens were squashing, crushing, and splitting, and the bearing capacity was mainly dependent on the compressive strength of the bamboo units. Buckling failure modes involving significant lateral deflection were observed for the long GPEHB specimens. With increasing slenderness ratio, the bearing capacities of the GPEHB specimens decreased significantly. The ultimate load of the GPEHB specimens decreased significantly as the slenderness ratio increased from 4 to 6 (GPEHB length increased from 736 to 1,104 mm). The ultimate deformation behaviors of the specimens were fit well by a quadratic function of the slenderness ratio. The GPEHB was also analyzed and modeled via finite element analysis (FEA). The experimental results, theoretical calculations, and FEA analysis results were compared.