Mechanical resistance of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) part 2: Axial tensile strength, hardness and wear resistance

Abstract

Bamboo is a natural resource with a wide range of applications, especially moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex H. de Lehaie), which is one of the most used species in the world. The main objective of this work was to determine the axial tensile strength, hardness and wear resistance of moso bamboo culms planted in Paraná, Brazil. Axial tensile strength was tested by the modification of a standard designed for wood; hardness was measured by the Brinell Test method and wear resistance was assessed by the taber abraser method. Analysis of variance with a factorial arrangement was applied to verify the effect of the treatments, resulting from the combination of three ages (one, three and five years old) and three culm positions (base, middle and top), and to check a possible interaction between these factors. No significant interaction was verified between age and position for axial tensile strength and hardness, and these properties increased as the age increased and culm position rose. Moso bamboo has potential for the flooring industry because of its low mass loss in the test of wear resistance and the satisfactory hardness when compared to other bamboo species and to traditional Brazilian timber species.