Mechanical characterisation of Bambusabalcooa for bicycle construction

Bamboo is a naturally occurring eco-friendly composite material with significant potential for application in structural engineering applications. It is sustainable and can be used as an alternative material for structural materials such as steel, aluminium, and composites. This work presents the mechanical characterisation of one type of locally grown bamboo, Bambusabalcooa, harvested from a small bamboo forest in Stellenbosch. The bamboo was allowed to dry for six months before testing. Tensile, bending and buckling tests were conducted on this bamboo to determine its mechanical properties and its suitability for application in bicycle construction. Tensile test specimens were extracted from the nodes and internodes of the bamboo. The mean tensile strength of the samples was found to be 208.39 MPa at the nodes and 239.07 MPa at the internodes. Bending tests were carried out on bamboo samples extracted from the internodes. The mean maximum shear force and bending moment were found to be 2816.63 N and 332.36 Nm respectively. Buckling tests were carried out on the nodes and internodes of the bamboo. The mean critical load was found to be 51.21 kN at the nodes and 126.38 kN at the internodes. The results proved that this type of bamboo is well suited for bicycle construction. A prototype bamboo bicycle was then constructed and is currently under road tests.