Slenderness ratio effect on the eccentric compression performance of chamfered laminated bamboo lumber columns

Abstract

Eccentric compression tests on 15 chamfered laminated bamboo lumber (LBL) columns with a height ranging from 600 to 3000 mm were conducted in order to study the eccentric mechanical performance. The failure of all specimens was caused by the crack of bamboo fiber in the tensile region. When the ultimate strength was reached, except specimens with a height of 600 mm, all other specimens could bear large deformation, showing good ductility. The lateral displacements of the specimens under eccentric compression were approximately parabolic in the direction of column height. The ultimate bending moment of LBL columns with different slenderness ratios under compression with the same initial eccentricity was a fixed value. The relationship between ultimate capacity, axial displacement, lateral displacement, and slenderness ratio was analyzed based on test results. It was found that the plane section assumption could be used to express the stress and strain distribution of chamfered LBL columns under eccentric compression. A method for calculating the ultimate bearing capacity was proposed using a constitutive model based on the Ramberg-Osgood relation and the empirical formula for calculating the ultimate capacity was given on the basis of the former research as well as the test results in this paper.