An exploratory study of composite cross-laminated timber (CCLT) made from bamboo and hemlock-fir mix

Abstract

This work investigated the feasibility of manufacturing composite cross-laminated timber (CCLT) from bamboo and a western hemlock and amabilis fir mix (hem-fir). Bamboo parallel strand lumber (bamboo PSL) was first fabricated as the surface laminae of CCLT. No. 2 and Btr 2×6 western hem-fir dimension lumber was imported from British Columbia (BC), Canada. The lumber was then sorted and further dried to form the inner laminae of CCLT. Multiple 800 × 800-mm CLT billets were fabricated using a commercial single-component polyurethane (PUR) adhesive. Block shear and delamination tests were conducted to examine the bond quality and durability of bamboo-wood CCLT. The results demonstrated that it is technically feasible to manufacture bamboo-wood CCLT with acceptable bond quality (shear strength, wood failure percentage, etc.) and delamination. Further studies should focus on the optimization of process parameters for manufacturing and surface treatment to improve the bond quality and durability and quantify the mechanical performance of bamboo-wood CCLT with a full-size production trial.