Investigation on the tensile strength of Dendrocalamus sericeus, Phyllostachys makinoi, and Thyrsostachys oliveri bamboo: Experiment and simulations

Bamboo, being a natural and sustainable construction material with remarkable mechanical properties, warrants comprehensive study for efficient and safe engineering applications. However, there is limited research on its behavior, particularly in Thailand. Therefore, this paper investigates 102 Thai bamboo specimens from three species (Dendrocalamus sericeus, Phyllostachys makinoi, and Thyrsostachys oliveri) and two node conditions to examine their tensile mechanical properties and develop a bamboo constitutive model for finite element analysis. The test results indicate that specimens with nodes exhibit lower maximum tensile strength compared to those without nodes, with differences of approximately 86.68%, 45.54%, and 50.35% for Dendrocalamus sericeus, Phyllostachys makinoi, and Thyrsostachys oliveri bamboo, respectively. Statistical methods were employed to gather data and predict tensile stress and strain at the specimen’s fracture point. A displacement-based formula was utilized to formulate the constitutive law for the proposed bamboo bar model. The accuracy and capability of the proposed model were verified through three numerical simulations: a convergence study, validation with experimental data, and analysis of bamboo applications in structural engineering. The results demonstrate good accuracy and capability, providing up-to-date local bamboo testing results in Thailand for future engineering applications.