Mechanical Properties of Bolted Steel Laminated Flattened-Bamboo Lumber Connections Under Cyclic Loading

In beam-column systems, bolted steel connections in laminated composite structures are being increasingly employed for their superior mechanical performance. Laminated flattened-bamboo lumber (LFBL) is a newly engineered bamboo product and a promising structural material since its production process could achieve the high-efficiency utilization of bamboo resources. This research investigated the load-displacement behavior of bolted steel connections of LFBL under cyclic compression. A total of 30 specimens in 6 groups were tested to determine the hysteresis curves, the effects of the bolt number, and failure modes under cyclic compression parallel and perpendicular to the grain. The test results illustrated that splitting and crushing failure were the main failure modes. With the increase in bolt quantity, the maximum load and initial stiffness of all specimens were significantly increased, while the ductility slightly decreased. The theoretical models of the skeleton curves and the reloading and unloading curves under cyclic loads were put forward, and the proposed equations were able to predict the entire cyclic load-displacement response. This study is aimed at offering guidelines for LFBL applications in future construction engineering.