Mode II fracture behavior of parallel strand bamboo measured by 3-point end-notched flexure tests

Abstract

Parallel strand bamboo (PSB) is a new type of bio-composite. In the present study, three-point bend end-notched flexure (3ENF) tests of PSB were conducted to analyze the fracture behavior including fracture process, resistant curves, and critical energy release rate in the longitudinal (L) system. The results show that transverse-longitudinal (TL) and thickness-longitudinal (ZL) specimens had the same fracture process including the stages of fracture process zone (FPZ) development and opening crack propagation but different mode II critical energy release rate (GIIc), and they indicate that the fiber bridging had a significant influence. The fracture processes suggest the PSB specimens of which the initial crack length was 0.5 times the half span had a stable crack propagating process, and the crack propagation length was wide enough to evaluate GIIc, which was 5.02 N∙mm-1 of TL specimens and 2.71 N∙mm-1 of ZL specimens. Besides, there was no obvious influence of span/depth ratio on the fracture resistance of both ZL and TL specimens when the ratio was larger than 15.