Tensile Strength of Moso Bamboo

Tensile strength is the ability of a structure or building material to resist tension by withstanding the loads that tend to elongate rather than to reduce in size. On the other hand, the compressive strength of a building material means that it can withstands compression (Sharma et al. Bamboo is normally associated with South Asian, South Pacific and East Asian cultures as well as the Tiki culture. However, in India and China, bamboo was useful in holding up suspension bridges by twisting its culms together. Although bamboo has been used in as construction material by engineers for so many years, efforts are being made to develop new bamboo complex that would overcome all the weaknesses or challenges associated with the natural one.

One of the pros of bamboo is that it is very easy to handle, cut, maintain, reposition and repair. It does not necessarily need sophisticated equipment or tools. As a result, it is cost effective because engineers do not have to spend a lot of money buying equipment to handle it. The other advantage is that it has extraordinary physical characteristics that make it suitable and appropriate for all kinds of constructions and structures. Some of the structures that can be meant using bamboo include bridges and houses (Harihar et al. Fourth, the structural reliability of bamboo with regard to jointing is questionable despite the numerous jointing techniques that can be used during construction. Literature Review Moso bamboo is known for its unique tensile properties that are essential in building and construction.

According to Dixon (635) Moso bamboo is more preferred by engineers as compared to the other types of bamboo such as Guadua. One of the properties that makes it the best construction material as opposed to the rest of species is that it is made of fine grain and small vascular bundles. Dixon claims that the small vascular bundles enable Moso bamboo to withstand intense tension from loads. As a result, Moso bamboo possess high capillary tension, air pressure and osmotic pressure that leads to its higher tensile strength. Moso bamboo consists of culm which always cylindrical with longitudinal sections of internodes. The culm tends to grow very fast as the tree shoots to higher heights. The growth of the culm is a great contributor its tensile properties because the wall thickness as well as diameter decreases (Dixon, 15).

The fibre is responsible for the tensile strength of the Moso bamboo since it influences the fracture modes of the trees. However, the properties of the bamboo determines its use because some of the purposes require less dense and stiff bamboo while others require denser and less stiff bamboos. Moso bamboo can also be modelled into fibre-reinforced composite consisting of vascular fibres and parenchyma matrix. According to Semple (520) the tensile strength of the Moso bamboo is very high due to the elastic vascular bundles that run axially through the entire stem. He also adds that the combination of many fibres is stronger as compared to that of steel. Although steel may have tensile strength to some extent, it is not so strong.

One of the properties that makes the fibre in the transverse direction less strong is the presence of lignin which is not only brittle but also soft. Moreover, Moso bamboo is more resistant to fire as compared to the other types of bamboo. Due to its strong tensile properties and the presence of silicate acid, bamboo is the most appropriate material for construction and building. Apart from the silicate acid, Moso bamboo is filled with water that makes it resistant to tension as well as high temperatures of about 400°C. Although the water in tubules may boil, the fibre remains strong to withstand the shear and tension that a load or fire may cause (Yu & Yanglun, 1034). Semple et al. (530) articulates that bamboo culms comprise of parenchyma cells that are embedded with vascular bundles.

The vascular bundles are made of fibres, companion cells, metaxylem vessels and sieve tubes that contribute to the tensile features or rather characteristics of moso bamboo. A single bamboo tissue is made up of approximately 52% parenchyma, 8% tubes and 40% fibres. However, the fibres are made of separate strands and sclerenchyma sheaths that can accommodate the elongation of any load or the shear forces. In comparison to the other species of bamboo such as Guadua, Moso bamboo is composed of four different sclerenchyma sheets that are equal in size. Also, thylosis is located in the pathway to increase the stiffness and toughness. The denser and tougher the bamboo, the higher the ability of resistance towards the external tension from sources such as high temperatures, earthquake or hurricanes.

The moisture content that determines the density of the bamboo. The outer walls of Moso bamboo are harder as compared to the other types of bamboos, thus, increasing the tensile strength of the materials. All the researches lead to the conclusion that Moso bamboo has higher tensile strength as compared to the other species of bamboo and the other building materials. Additionally, its hard outer walls contribute to the high tensile strength of the bamboo wood as a construction and building material (Yang & Te-Hsin, 256). The tensile strength enables building materials to withstand the high pressure, shear forces and elongated loads. In some places that are prone to earthquakes, Moso bamboo is used the primary construction material because it can actually withstand very high tension and temperatures as well.

The tensile strength of any building material is determined by the maximum stress that it can sustain. G. , et al. "Comparison of the structure and flexural properties of Moso, Guadua and Tre Gai bamboo. " Construction and Building Materials 90 (2015): 11-17. Gupta, A. Kumar, Anuj, et al. "Engineered bamboo scrimber: Influence of density on the mechanical and water absorption properties. " Construction and Building Materials 127 (2016): 815-827. Kumar, Gulshan, and Deepankar Kr Ashish. "Review on feasibility of bamboo in modern construction. K. Zhang, and G. D. Smith. "Hybrid oriented strand boards made from Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel) and Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx. "Plant material features responsible for bamboo's excellent mechanical performance: a comparison of tensile properties of bamboo and spruce at the tissue, fibre and cell wall levels.