Multi-scale Study on Interface Toughness of Strand Woven Bamboo as Sustainable Construction Material

Due to their rapid growth and superior mechanical properties well comparable to timber woods, bamboo has gain increased interests as a potential sustainable structural material. Among unprocessed and processed bamboo products, “strand woven bamboo” (SWB), a new type of processed bamboo composite as popular indoor and outdoor flooring material, has recently shown its great potential as load-bearing building material, due to its ultrahigh density, hardness and durability, as well as desirable processability. Due to its unique manufacturing process and structure in-between bamboo-fiber reinforced composite and glued solid pieces of raw bamboo, the interface toughness of this composite material at multi-scale would play a major role in determining its usage in load-bearing structural applications. In this interdisciplinary research, we will focus on the in situ characterizations of the interface toughness and failure mechanisms at three length scales, that is, the thin strips of bamboo strands (macro) and bamboo culm fibers (micro) with polymer adhesive matrix, respectively, as well as the interfaces between nano-fibrils (nano) inside the bamboo culm fiber. Through collaboration with leading experts in the field, we will further look at the possibility of creating SWB-based structural bamboo products for construction application.