TITLE:
Strength, Fatigue Strength and Stiffness of High-Tech Bamboo/Epoxy Composites
AUTHORS:
Michael James Platts
KEYWORDS:
Bamboo, Moisture Content, Epoxy, Dry Strength, Fatigue Strength, Quality Control, Composites Manufacturing Process, Wind Turbine Blades
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.5 No.13,
November
20,
2014
ABSTRACT:
A major problem in the strength data available for cellulose fibre-based
materials is that the moisture content of the test specimens is
rarely measured, and yet it is the dominant variable in the tests. Detailed
strength and stiffness results are presented for Brazilian Dendrocalamus Giganteus
bamboo at a wide range of moisture contents down to 2% and the fatigue curve is
given for Chinese Moso bamboo at 4% moisture content. Techniques are described
for handling the variability of these natural materials, both in design and in
manufacturing quality control, for the mass production of large, high-tech
composites wind turbine blades.