Investigation on fracture behavior of unidirectional bamboo laminate with self-tapping screws reinforcement

The bamboo structure has received more and more attention as a green, renewable construction with an increasing focus on environmental issues. Cracking at joints or openings and brittle fracture of bamboo are urgent problems in bamboo structures, leading to reduced rigidity, decreased load capacity, and even endangering structural safety. This research aims to explore the mechanism of self-tapping screw reinforcement in improving the brittle fracture characteristic of bamboo laminate. To achieve an optimal effect of reinforcement, fracture tests of bamboo laminated with different numbers of self-tapping screws and screw positions were conducted to study their impact on fracture behaviors. Through the analysis of the ultimate load, the deformation capacity, the initial energy release rate, and the energy release rate caused by the self-tapping screws reinforcement, a model for calculating the energy release rate of bamboo laminate with self-tapping screws is established. Based on the model, the load-bearing capacity of steel-bamboo connections with self-tapping screws can be reasonably estimated.