Digitisation of bamboo culms for structural applications. (May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lorenzo, Rodolfo; Mimendi, Leonel
• Is Part Of: Journal of building engineering. Volume 29(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05
• Subjects: Bamboo -- Sustainable building materials -- Computer-aided design -- Reverse engineering -- Construction technology; Building -- Periodicals; 690.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101193
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-7102

Abstract

Abstract: Reducing the negative environmental impact caused by the intensive manufacturing of industrialised building materials and components requires the adoption of alternative sustainable resources and the development of appropriate procedures to encourage their use in the construction industry. Bamboo in its natural form (culms or poles) is one of the most promising non-conventional sustainable building materials, endemic to most developing countries where high demand for building materials will be driven by the large-scale urbanisation predicted for the coming decades. The use of bamboo poles as structural elements poses multiple challenges starting with the need to define their inherent geometric variability to enable their inclusion in formal design and fabrication processes. This paper describes the details of a non-destructive 3D scanning and modelling workflow developed to capture and process the relevant digital information that describes the geometric properties of bamboo poles. The digitisation of over 230 poles with a combined length of 500 m was carried out confirming the accuracy of the generated geometric models. Also, a small reciprocal frame prototype was successfully developed based on the geometric information extracted from a 3D model of the structure incorporating the digitised poles. The effective digitisation of bamboo poles and its integration into modern platforms can provide the construction industry with the necessary support to design, build and maintain high quality structures that incorporate this sustainable and renewable resource. Highlights: Workflow for the digitisation of the geometry of structural bamboo poles. Experimental validation of digitisation workflow on over 230 poles. Discretisation of bamboo poles for formal structural analysis. Implementation of digitisation workflow on the development of a small structural bamboo prototype. Potential integration of structural bamboo into Building Information Modelling (BIM) platforms.