Bamboo as a Bio-inspired Engineering Materials

Baldwin, B., Giselle, T., & Antonyraj, A. (2008). Bamboo as a Bio-inspired Engineering Materials. Bio-Inspired Conference, MSU, August 2008. Mississippi State.

Abstract

Bamboo (Bambusoideae) is a fast growing, woody grass (family Poaceae) found throughout the world and is of interest to biologists because it is a readily available renewable resource. Woody bamboos are characterized by perennial growth and lignified culms and can be either running or clumping in growth habit. The mechanical properties of bamboo are of interest to engineers and architects because its low cost, high strength, and light weight make it an outstanding structural material. Resilience, strength and light weight are conferred by the macro anatomy and micro arrangement of fibers within the bamboo culm. This study was designed to indentify the specific structural characteristics that contribute to the high strength, light weight properties of bamboo. Phyllostachys bambusa, the strongest of the running bamboos, and Phyllostachys aureasalcuta, a typical running bamboo, were collected for gross structural measurements, mechanical testing and microstructural analysis. The main factors found to contribute to strength are species, age of culm, internode distance, location on culm (distance from the ground), and wall thickness. Here, we present evidence of the hierarchical nature of bamboo structure (macrostructure to nanostructure) and discuss bamboo anatomy in an attempt to offer the tools for engineers to synthesize “artificial” bamboo from other substrates.