Experimental evaluation of physical and mechanical properties of Glued Laminated Guadua angustifolia Kunth

A comprehensive study was conducted in order to determine selected physical and mechanical properties of Glued Laminated Guadua angustifolia Kunth, providing a proper characterization which, in turn, represents a technical framework for structural design values. Experimental tests were performed to determine properties such as density, shrinkage-in-volume, compression (parallel- and perpendicular-to-grain), tension (parallel- and perpendicular-to-grain), shear-parallel-to-grain, and static bending, among others. Comparisons of the experimental results and reported strength values for other laminated bamboo and timber products show great potential for Glued Laminated Guadua as a structural material, since it has higher strength and stiffness than other laminated bamboo products. The experimental results also indicate that Glued Laminated Guadua possesses considerably higher strength and comparable stiffness than those of engineered timbers commonly used in the United States and, therefore, has a great potential for its use in light frame construction. The results presented herein may be also used as a basis for further simulations and finite element method applications.