Building of small bamboo shelter : joint design and testing

Abstract

In order to resolve housing problems and the need for rapid deployable shelter in areas recovering from earthquakes, the attention is turned to cheap and renewable source of material which is effective in providing durable construction. This material should be able to resist earthquakes. Bamboo is a suitable material in this aspect. Hence, in order to ensure sufficient strength in such structures to withstand earthquakes, the joint design is of utmost importance in this project. The joint were identified from the architectural drawings and categorized into the various joint types. Then designs of the joint went underway through discussions with project supervisor and finally arriving at the final joint design. This report analyses the designs which were produced and explained the advantages and disadvantages of each of the joint designs. All these actions were followed up with coming up of proper fabrication of the joints and testing methods. It could be observed that specimens consistently fail in a similar pattern with the same design and this shall be elaborated in Chapter Six and Chapter Seven.