Influence of Column Base Connections on the Cyclic Loading Performance of Double-Jointed Engineered Bamboo Columns

The cyclic loading performance of bamboo double-jointed components of different column base connection types was investigated through reversed cyclic loading tests and finite element analysis. Test results indicated that the types of column base connections played an important role in the failure modes of the engineered bamboo double-jointed columns: for an encased steel plate column base connection, the main failure mode was tensile fracture failure of the bamboo scrimber section at the bottom of the cladding plate; for a slotted-in steel plate column base connection, the main failure mode was splitting failure of the bamboo scrimber cross-grain at the bolt connection line at the bottom of the sheathing plate. The initial stiffness of the encased steel plate column base connection specimen was 41.8% higher than that of the slotted-in steel plate column base connection specimen, with the two specimens having similar average bearing capacities. The ductility ratio of the two specimens was below 3.0 due to the brittle failure nature of the engineered bamboo connections. The finite element model accurately predicted the ultimate bearing capacity of the double-jointed bamboo column members. The modeling error was within 12%, which was sufficient to satisfy the accuracy requirements for engineering purposes.

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