Bamboo Bridge Research Articles

Effect of Stiffener Braces on Behaviour of Bamboo Bridge

Effect of Stiffener Braces on Behaviour of Bamboo Bridge

Bamboo Bridges: A Nature-based Solution

Given the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, developing countries are unable to develop their infrastructure, including small houses and bridges, using the same carbon dioxide (CO2) emission "heavy" technologies as the "West" has used. Using the case of two bamboo bridge projects in China, we argue that a nature-based solution (NBS), like bamboo and wood, means considerably fewer CO2 emissions compared to a similar bridge made of concrete and/or steel, and therefore should become the norm for small bridges worldwide. Another important aspect of a bamboo bridge is how this technology, an NBS based on local materials and knowledge, situates itself in the local community compared to a concrete or steel bridge. Creating local, or at least non-urban employment by using bamboo and using local knowledge about bamboo construction in combination with help from public scientific institutions means less dependence on high-tech capital equipment and high-level engineering expertise, which are scarce and/or expensive in developing countries. The fact that a bamboo bridge can perform cultural and social functions to a greater extent than a concrete bridge, resulting in the local community becoming more engaged in the bridge's construction and maintenance, can be an important additional factor in convincing the local community to choose a bamboo bridge, given that global warming is, by its very nature, an issue much more remote from everyday life in small rural communities.

A New Approach to Symmetry Reliability: Combination of Forward and Inverse Reliability Principle and Its Application to Frame Structures and Bamboo Bridges

Reliability theory is the core basis of engineering design, mainly including forward reliability theory and inverse reliability theory. Forward reliability theory is used to obtain the reliability index using the known design parameters, that is, it is a mapping function that translates the design parameters to the reliability index. Inverse reliability theory is used to obtain the design parameters using the known reliability index, that is, it is a mapping function that translates the reliability index to the design parameters. In other words, forward reliability theory and inverse reliability theory together constitute a method of dual mapping, which is the specific application of symmetry theory in the reliability field. In this paper, a new inverse reliability analysis method is proposed, which can satisfy the requirements of the target reliability index while obtaining the design parameters, without additional calculation and verification of reliability. The method simplifies the reliability inverse problem to the problem of the nonlinear equation, which is solved by identifying the design parameters, and finally obtains the design parameters by iterating the reliability index for each design parameter to gradually approach the target reliability index. For high-dimension and complex problems, the Levenberg–Marquardt method is introduced to avoid the problem of sensitivity to initial values and iterative divergence when identifying the design parameters. The implicit limit state function problem is solved by the interactive operation between ANSYS software and MATLAB software using finite element theory. The accuracy of the proposed method in this paper is verified by several numerical examples, the applicability of the implicit limit state function is verified by a single-story frame structure, and the engineering applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated with a bamboo bridge.

Structural analysis of a Guadua bamboo bridge in Colombia

In recent years, scientists have focused their attention in developing sustainable materials that can boost the construction industry without causing damage to the environment. In South and Central American forests grows a tropical species of bamboo known as Guadua angustifolia Kunth, which has been widely used for construction purposes since ancient times. Offering advantages such as: environmental friendliness, fast-growing and high strength-to-weight ratio. This paper analyzes the structural behavior of an existing multi-culm Guadua bamboo truss type footbridge located in Colombia, according to national regulations NSR-10. A model of the structure is implemented using a commercial finite element software, details for an accurate description of the structure’s behavior through the proposed model are offered. Furthermore, an exhaustive description of the structure’s load transfer and its materials mechanical properties is performed, as well as a review on connections and immunization process. Finally, improvement opportunities for the building codes used for the analysis and investigation opportunities are identified. The purpose of this paper is stepping into the right direction thus, one day Guadua angustifolia Kunth and bamboo in general can be fully exploited in the construction industry.

Bamboo Joints Review on the Millennium Bridge in Green School Bali

The Millennium Bridge in Green School Bali is a bamboo bridge building which is a unique building. This structure has local cultural value and has sustainable material. Bamboo, as its material, has been used in traditional way, but become popular lately according with sustainable issue nowadays. In general, this descriptive analytical research will evaluate the bamboo design of The Millennium bridge in The Green School Bali, especially focusing on the joints as constructional material, whether it has already conformed to the literature or not and seek the innovation of the architect for this matter. The analysis will be carried out after surveying the existing state in the form of the photos and making computer model of the researched object, then analyzing the form of the bridge. Keywords: The Millennium bridge, Bamboo bridge, Bamboo, Sustainable material, Green School Bali. DOI: 10.7176/ADS/91-04 Publication date: March 31 st 2021

Enhancing Strength of Bamboo using GFRP and PU

Bamboo is an eco-friendly material, it can be used in various applications such as bamboo housing, bamboo bridges, bamboo scaffolding, ply bamboo, bamboo furniture, and for defence applications. It has various advantages to be used as structural material. However, it has weaknesses such as crushing failure under extreme loading that need to be addressed. The objective of this research is to enhance bamboo bearing and bending capacity using various stiffeners. Experimental work done is to investigate the compressive strength, bending strength, bearing strength and tensile strength of raw local bamboo. Further analysis includes bending and bearing strength of raw bamboo and strengthen bamboo using Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) and Polyurethane (PU) Foams. From the test done, the bearing strength of raw bamboo Semantan with node is between 2.61 MPa to 3.14 MPa and for raw bamboo Semantan without node is between 0.28 MPa to 0.82 MPa, average bending strength of raw bamboo Semantan is 59 MPa. For strengthen bamboo with 4 layers of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer, the bearing strength without node is between 1.59 MPa to 2.38 MPa, and the average bending strength is 62 MPa which is about 5% higher than raw bamboo.

Bamboo bridges or barriers? Exploring advantages of bilingualism among Asians in the U.S. labor market through the lens of superdiversity

ABSTRACTThe number of Asian immigrants in the United States has increased remarkably over the past decades and now accounts for nearly 30% of all immigrants in the country. However, the umbrella term Asians includes a wide range of variety. Acknowledging diversity among Asians, this study explores advantages of Asian bilingualism in the American labor market by attending to employment status and personal earnings through the lens of superdiversity. A series of logistic and ordinary least squared regression analyses of the 2011–2015 American Community Survey (ACS) data shows that substantial differences exist across different ethnic groups among Asians. Bilingual advantages appear in most Asian groups when predicting both employment status and personal earnings, and the benefits tend to be more salient in the results of earnings analysis. The findings indicate that native-language literacy skill is a more momentous variable than the other variables in the model and that bilingual advantages stand out among Asian Indians and Chinese/Taiwanese more substantially compared to other Asians. Immense gender gaps also exist between Asian males and females in terms of economic well-being, and such gaps are more conspicuous in personal earnings than in employment status.

Experimental Study on the Compressive Mechanical Performance of Bamboo Strip Plywood under Static Loads

The compressive mechanical performance of bamboo strip plywood was studied in the paper. Based on analysis of the related experiments datum , the principal compressive mechanical performance under static load were expounded perfectly, and a number of mechanical parameters such as compressive strength, compressive elastic modulus and compressive constitutive relations were obtained. It was shown that the mechanical performance of bamboo strip plywood was better than that of wood material such as Northeast larch, the compressive elastic modulus was lower than that of concrete, so that there existed a more great deformation when the bamboo beam structure was loaded, and the constitutive relations of bamboo materials showed that there was excellent ductility with an obvious characteristic of plastic deformation . This research result showed that there was a great significance on studying and application of bamboo bridges in the future.

The role of community architects in upgrading; reflecting on the experience in Asia

This paper describes the role of community architects in the upgrading programmes supported by the Asian Coalition for Community Action (ACCA), illustrated with examples that include a bamboo bridge project in Davao and a toilet project in Digos (the Philippines), a community-driven land allocation system in Gopalganj (Bangladesh), and upgrading developed by a savings group in a landless community in Hlaing Tar Yar township (Myanmar). Drawing on the authors’ experiences working as community architects, it also reflects on how to integrate social and physical change in communities in order to effect broader changes in society. The paper discusses the merits of community architecture and identifies what makes a good community architect, and describes the Community Architects Network (CAN) that has been formed and how it encourages architectural schools to incorporate knowledge and experience from community architects into their curriculum.

Study on evaluation of life jacket utilisation in Vietnam

BackgroundAccording to the WHO, an appropriate use of life jacket is an effective method to contribute to the reduction of drowning mortality. Till now, Viet Nam has not ratified a...

Experimental Study on Creep and Mechanical Behavior of Modern Bamboo Bridge Structure

A full-scale testing model of laminated bamboo truck load bridge was made based on the original structure. The mid-span deflection of CFRP-reinforced bamboo girders, temperature and relative air humidity were obtained through over three years creep test under self-weight, and the analysis based on experimental results was finished. The results indicate that the average creep deflection of the girders after three years is approximately 8-mm. In addition, the increase in temperature and humidity may contribute to creep. On the basis of creep test, a short-term loading test was carried out applied with dead load, and the bridge collapsed under the load of 18.5-t. By the analysis of the experimental results, it is realized that long span CFRP-reinforced bamboo girders have sufficient capacity to meet the strength and durability needs of practical use. Although CFRP layers could improve the performance of bamboo girders effectively, there is a decrease in strength and stiffness when considering the long-term performance. All these studies may contribute to improving the design of bamboo bridge structures, and some construction measures are suggested for the bamboo bridge according to the results of the experimental and analysis results.

Tradition Meets Technology

Community has historically provided an essential psycho-spiritual framework for nursing. Changes in communication technology pose challenges for nurses internationally who create communities across borders. This article discusses The Bamboo Bridge online community, a project responding to the global call for nursing education about the complementarity of nursing and healing traditions. The project explores how technologies such as Centra and Ning promote community building and encourage belonging in members from 5 continents and 10 countries. This article includes detailed accounts of the project design, examples of cultural diplomacy as the emerging theoretical framework, and an African member's perspective of online community.

Design and Construction of Modern Bamboo Bridges

The writers are conducting a comprehensive research program, with the goal to develop modern bamboo structures for buildings and bridges. This paper reports the design, construction, and testing of modern bamboo bridges. Laminated bamboo girders or glubam were developed and verified for satisfactory mechanical performance through full-scale testing. It was demonstrated that the laminated bamboo girders have satisfactory stiffness and load carrying capacity. The use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics can further enhance the stiffness and capacity of the bamboo girders. Based on the test results and analysis, a 10-m long single lane roadway bridge was designed and constructed, which was the first of its kind in the world. The field tests were carried out using an over loaded two-axel truck with a total weight of 8.6 t which exceeded the given design truckload of 8.0 t. The bridge performed satisfactorily with the midspan deflection corresponding to the critical service loading condition being much smaller ...