Relationship between Physical and Mechanical Properties and Node Height in Major Three Species of Korean Bamboo

Abstract

Bamboo forests are fast-growing, renewable resources, and their carbon sequestration potentialhas attracted increasing attention. Although bamboo can be used for many purposes, bambooforests in Korea represent a generally underutilized resource. The main objective here was toperform an assessment of the physical and mechanical characteristics of different species ofbamboo found in Korea. The main species of domestic bamboo are Phyllostachys bambusoides,P. pubescens, and P. nigra; we measured the air-dried density for each of the species, withobtained values of 0.89 g/cm2, 0.79 g/cm2, and 0.83 g/cm2, respectively, giving the density orderof P. bambusoides > P. pubescens > P. nigra, with P. bambusoides having the highest density. We then measured the compressive strength of each species, which were 802.84 kgf/cm2, 624.69kgf/cm2, and 743.77 kgf/cm2, respectively, in the order of P. bambusoides > P. pubescens > P. nigra, with P. bambusoides having the highest compressive strength. Volume and maximum loaddecreased with increasing node height in the three bamboo species, whereas air-dried densityand compressive strength increased. Our results thus add to the pool of essential knowledgeabout Korean bamboo species, and consequently to the development of a potentially valuabledomestic resource in Korea.