ISO/TC 165/WG 12 - Structural use of bamboo

This document applies to the design of bamboo structures whose primary load bearing structure is made of round bamboo or shear panel systems in which the framing members are made from round bamboo. Except as indicated in Clause 12, this document applies to one- and two-storey residential, small commercial or institutional and light industrial buildings not exceeding 7 m in height. This document is concerned only with requirements for mechanical resistance, serviceability and durability of bamboo structures. This document permits an allowable load-bearing capacity design (ACD) and/or allowable stress design (ASD) approach for the design of bamboo structures. Allowable load-bearing capacity and allowable stress approaches may be used in combination in the same structure. This document additionally recognises design approaches based on partial safety factor design (PSFD) and/or load and resistance factor design (LRFD) methods (5.11.1), previous established experience (5.11.2), or documented ‘design by testing’ approaches (5.11.3). Other requirements, such as those concerning thermal or sound insulation, are not considered. Bamboo structures may require consideration of additional requirements beyond the scope of this document. Execution is covered to the extent that it impacts the quality of construction materials and products required to comply with the design requirements contained herein. This document provides a number of modification factors, designated Ci. These are empirically derived factors, based on best available engineering judgement, that are believed to be universally applicable to bamboo materials that are appropriate for building construction. Parameters affecting bamboo material performance are many and are addressed explicitly through the use of experimentally determined characteristic values of strength and stiffness. Annex A provides a summary of the bases upon which the provisions of this document were developed. This document does not apply to —   structures made of engineered bamboo products such as glue-laminated bamboo, cross-laminated bamboo, oriented strand, or densified bamboo materials, —   bamboo-reinforced materials where bamboo is not the primary load-bearing constituent. This includes bamboo-reinforced concrete, masonry and soil, or, —   scaffold structures constructed with bamboo.

This document specifies test procedures for specimens obtained from round bamboo culms. The data obtained from the test methods can be used to establish characteristic physical or mechanical properties to be used in structural engineering design or for other scientific purposes. This document provides methods for evaluating the following physical and strength properties: moisture content, density, mass per unit length; strength properties parallel to the fibre direction, compression, tension and bending, and strength properties perpendicular to the fibre direction, tension and bending. It also provides methods to estimate moduli of elasticity in bending, compression and tension parallel to fibres, and bending perpendicular to fibres. The test methods reported in this document are intended for commercial testing applications. The test methods reported in this document are intended for commercial testing applications and can also be adopted as benchmark methods for scientific research. This document is organized to provide requirements for standard tests to be carried out to determine the material properties of full-culm bamboo as a structural material.

This document specifies grading procedures for visually and mechanically sorting round, or pole, bamboo for structural applications using such fundamental elements. Visual sorting is based on observable characteristics of the piece(s). Mechanical sorting is based on non-destructive measurement of properties known to correlate to characteristic values defining a grade. The grading procedures in this document can be used in a quality acceptance regime, although this document does not define or address acceptance criteria. This document is applicable only for bamboo that is graded in the seasoned state.