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Mode I interlaminar fracture property of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens)

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Abstract

Bamboo is a unidirectional fiber-reinforced bio-composite. Once having cracks, the delaminating propagation is not controlled by the strength but by the interlaminar fracture toughness. In this paper, the behaviors of Mode I (crack opening mode) interlaminar fracture parallel to grain of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) were studied. Based on energy theory, the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness, G IC, was measured using the double cantilever beam specimens, and the fracture surfaces were examined under scanning electron microscope. The results show that: (1) the interlaminar fracture toughness of Mode I is the basic characteristic of bamboo material. The mean value of G IC = 358 J/m2 (coefficient of variation = 16.88%) represents the resistance arresting crack propagation. No significant difference was found for G IC among the specimens located at different heights of the bamboo. (2) Due to the low G IC of bamboo, the crack propagation parallel to grain developed easily. The crack was a self-similar fracture without fiber-bridging. On the fracture surfaces, smooth fibers and plane ground tissue were found at the extended area of Mode I fracture along the longitudinal direction. Under scanning electron microscope, it could be seen that the crack propagation developed along the longitudinal interface between fibers or ground tissue. It indicates that the longitudinal interface strength was weak among bamboo cells.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30571452).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Forestry, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, China

    Zhuo-Ping Shao

  2. Centre de Recherche sur le Bois (CRB), Département des Sciences du Bois et de la Forêt, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, G1K 7P4, Canada

    Chang-Hua Fang

  3. International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, 100102, Beijing, China

    Gen-Lin Tian

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  1. Zhuo-Ping Shao
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  2. Chang-Hua Fang
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  3. Gen-Lin Tian
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Correspondence to Zhuo-Ping Shao.

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Shao, ZP., Fang, CH. & Tian, GL. Mode I interlaminar fracture property of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens). Wood Sci Technol 43, 527–536 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-009-0265-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-009-0265-2

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