UC Irvine

With millions of poor and homeless people in the world and the presence of extensive bamboo resources in many regions, a part of the affordable housing problem can be solved by providing structural design for bamboo houses. In this study, structural evaluation of a bamboo arch was performed. In addition, a numerical finite element model using ANSYS software was developed to simulate the behavior of the bamboo structure. The study included a literature review of relevant published technical papers, books and reports. Experimental tests were conducted on the full-scale bamboo structure to verify the scissor action of joints to transfer load and to study the short-term creep behavior for controlling the deflection limits to satisfy the building standards as per CBC 2013. The finite element model was used to understand the expected behavior of the bamboo arch structure under gravity loading. The finite element model results were used to determine the possible improvement to stiffen the structural joints by using steel cables. This study is just a step towards providing an alternative for feasible housing design using bamboo as a structural material.