Evaluation of the structural performance Howe trusses made of Glued Laminated Bamboo

This paper presents and discusses the experimental analyses of reduced models of Howe trusses made from Glued Laminated Bamboo (GLB). Dendrocalamus giganteus bamboo was used to make the trusses' battens, which had their bamboo layer glued with two types of glue (resorcinol-formaldehyde and polyvinyl acetate). The trusses were 2.5 m long and 0.4 m high. In order to design the trusses, a prior analysis of their joints was made, and three variables were investigated: the angle of the joints, the number of batten layers and the glue types. All trusses failed by buckling with a load 175% higher than the design load. Finally, it was observed that the joints and the GLB trusses presented suitable structural behavior.