Investigation of Some Mechanical Properties of ‘Agaraba’ - A Native Nigerian Bamboo

Abstract

The investigation of some mechanical properties of ‘Agaraba’, a native Nigerian bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) was carried out. The moisture content of the sample, which is a basic requirement for effective analysis of its mechanical properties, was first examined. The compressive and tensile properties and hardness of the top, middle and bottom locations of the bamboo culm were investigated. The result shows that the strength of bamboo increases with length of the culm. The average values for the compressive strength, tensile strength and hardness number were 75.69 MPa, 295.33 MPa, and 3.96, respectively. The results of the compressive and tensile strength of Nigerian-grown bamboo were comparable to that of timber, concrete, plastic and mild steel, while the hardness test was comparable to that of softwood and some hardwood. Due to the results of the tests carried out, it was found that bamboo that has been under-utilized in Nigeria, could be used as an alternative material to wood, plastic and concrete in applications such as housing, construction and piping and also for use in some engineering applications.