Stiffness and strength analysis of four layered laminate bamboo composite at macroscopic scale

Dry bamboo culms of Dendrocalamus strictus were processed into thin laminas and cold pressed using epoxy resin to produce four layered laminated bamboo epoxy composites (LLBCs). Experimental and theoritical values (stiffness and strength) of LLBCs, prepared from middle region laminae, have been evaluated under tensile loading and using rule-of-mixture respectively. Experimental values of LLBCs are closely resembles with theoretical values. Further, a hypothetical four layered unidirectional laminated bamboo composites (HLLBCs) have been proposed where their stresses and strains obtained using constitutive equation of laminate at macroscopic scale are lower than experimental failure limit of LLBCs. This indicates that proposed LLBCs behaves like fibrous composites which are presently in use for a variety of structural applications.