Suitability of bamboo brick as a lightweight construction material / Noor Zuraida Jusoh

The increasing issues of pollution create awareness that leads to the
close down of some mining sand quarries. The usage of river sand as an
alternative resources also contributed to pollution. Consumption of sand
must be reduced in order to stop its negative impact on environment.
Bamboo is the alternative raw material in construction that is used
for bricks and concrete. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants,
abundant and low cost material. Many studies were done on bamboo
especially on mechanical and physical properties of Semantan bamboo
(Gigantochloa scortechinii). However, there is no study on the properties
of Akar bamboo (Dendrocalamus pendulus). Therefore, one of the
objectives of this thesis was to evaluate the properties of Akar bamboo
and as well as Semantan bamboo as a lightweight construction materials.
The basic properties of bamboo evaluated were compressive strength,
specific gravity, water absorption and dimensional stability. Bamboo skin
can significantly increase compressive strength and significantly reduce
water absorption and dimensional stability of bamboo. The presence
of nodes in bamboo significantly reduce the compressive strength. In
this study, waterproof coating was used in bamboo brick samples. The
usage of waterproof coating has significantly reduced water absorption
and dimensional changes of bamboo. The waterproofing agent like Axel
Deram however not only act as water barrier but can provide good bonding
strength when bamboo was embedded into cement mortar..