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IcerocketGluBam Construction
The bridge Yan Xiao built in Leiyang with GluBam was the town’s first. Each beam that spans the brick columns was created using Xiao’s novel process of transforming irregular bamboo into a practical building material. First he tore strips of bamboo from the stalk and arranged them in such a way as to provide the most strength. He then coated the strips with glue and compressed them in a self-built hydraulic press into beams, 33 feet long and up to three feet wide, each capable of supporting eight tons. Xiao says that the beams cost just 20 percent as much as imported lumber. Better still, rural China has a constantly replenishing supply of bamboo.
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Great idea and green! It could work in other places with warped hardwoods, too. I'm not an engineer, but a 33' beam that supports 8 ton is stronger than "standard" beams.
75 out of 88 people found this comment helpfulIt seems far stronger then most other engineered beams designed to conserve wood it's almost as good a solid wood though not as strong as wood laminate.
48 out of 53 people found this comment helpfulIt probably has better moisture resistance then OSB like products too.
This is a product China and the rest of the world needed desperately.
Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world. Makes sense...
41 out of 47 people found this comment helpfulI first became interested in bamboo during a trip to Hong Kong in 1986 where I observed bamboo used for scaffolding reaching many stories high. Bamboo is used just like we in the US use steel scaffolding or other supports. As for the story about Glubam and a bridge, I was disappointed that the article did not show the bridge mentioned as using Glubam for construction. Any idea where I might find a picture of the bridge?
30 out of 36 people found this comment helpfulfrom Lehi, UT
here is some info on this bridge:
49 out of 49 people found this comment helpfulhttp://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/architecture_construction/report-100137.html
if you travel the 80/90 tolroad in new york take a stop at the plazas and look at the composite structures in the older ones. I think the principal design is similar.
5 out of 9 people found this comment helpfulif you travel the 80/90 tolroad in new york take a stop at the plazas and look at the composite structures in the older ones. I think the principal design is similar.
3 out of 9 people found this comment helpfulHow green is all that glue I wonder?
18 out of 33 people found this comment helpfulWANTED A FLOATING CITY CONSTRUCTED OUT OF THESE BEAMS !!!
4 out of 16 people found this comment helpfulPLACE THE 80 MILE BY 80 MILE CITY AT THE BORDER OF
NORTH VIETNAM AND CHINA WITH A FLOATING BRIDGE FIVE OR
TEN MILES LONG !!!!
This is wonderful!
6 out of 8 people found this comment helpfulI've written about other bamboo engineering breakthroughs related to joining bamboo for suspension, but this is the first composite beam I've seen. Bamboo is the future of construction and luckily for us it is a carbon sink, grows really fast, and can be harvested locally and abundantly with the right vision. Check out my post "all that bamboo can do" at www.punkrockpermaculture.wordpress.com