EXPERIMENTAL AND FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF BENDING TEST OF GIGANTOCHLOA ATROVIOLACEA (WULUNG BAMBOO): LINEAR-ISOTROPIC MATERIAL USING BENDING PROPERTIES

Predicting the flexural behavior of bamboo beams is challenging due to their complex shape and disparate material properties. This study evaluates the accuracy of numerical analysis in predicting bamboo flexural behavior, utilizing a homogeneous bamboo diameter approach and applying the flexural modulus of elasticity property. Wulung bamboo was used for the bending experiment, following ISO 22157:2019. Finite element analysis was conducted using Abaqus CAE software. The numerical results were compared with experimental results including deflection, neutral axis position, strain, and stress. Results indicate that numerical modeling of a bamboo beam can predict Wulung bamboo's linear deformation, with a 2.03 discrepancy. The neutral axis from numerical analysis deviates by 3.43 mm and 6.69 mm above experimental measures under elastic and ultimate loads, respectively. The numerical analysis bamboo beam model shows closer results in predicting the compressive strain than predicting the tensile strain of a bamboo beam. The difference in maximal compressive strain on the topmost surface between numerical analysis and experimental results ranges from 1.92 to 15.1. The difference in maximal tensile strain on the bottommost surface between numerical analysis and experimental results ranges between 16.1 and 24.3 . The maximum normal stress ratio to modulus of rupture is 0.995. © 2025 Penerbit UTM Press. All rights reserved.