BAMBENG technology uses bamboo for manufacturing a unique new bio-material which has the potential to replace most commonly used non structural building materials used for flooring, panelling and furniture . This novel process will ensure the sustainable supply of raw materials via environment friendly new solution in construction industry, but will also provide participating SME with the opportunity to derive an ongoing income. Bambeng process is made by fractioning flat bamboo surfaces. By effect of mechanical friction, the heating produced fuses external fibers producing a natural welding between the parts.
BAMBENG proposal outlines the opportunity to develop an innovative technological process which will produce a new constructional product, chemical free and environmental friendly (avoiding the use of toxic and polluting glues) with supreme technological, economic and environmental footprint performances. That would make BAMBENG advantageous competitor and feasible alternative as the best performing material for furniture and flooring.
As showed in BAMBENG project the innovative material has extremely interesting features compared with gluelam / glubam and it is alternative to engineered wooden materials like gluelam, cross laminated timber, finger joint structural timber. Bamboo is so strong that its unit tensile strength (up to 28,000 pounds per square foot) exceeds that of steel (23,000 pounds per square foot).
Furthermore BAMBENG has a low density (kg/m3) of 600/700 compared with concrete 2400, aluminium 2700, cast iron 6800 and aìn high elasticity.
BAMBENG properties and superior quality compared to wood are:
- Strength: 2-3 time stronger than timber
- Loading material: approx 25 -50% less than timber (which eventually makes lighter dead loads and potential cost saving)
- Stiffness: 1,5 times stiffer than timber (leading to better seismic properties).
No other plant has such myriad of uses; bamboo can be transformed into hundreds of products, such as shoots for food, poles for agriculture and structures, panels and composite materials for houses and buildings, versatile household products (furniture, kitchen utensils, etc), vehicles for transportation (such as boats, bicycles, skateboards, and even ultra‐light airplanes), pulp and paper, fiber for textiles, medicinal and bio-chemical products (including bio‐plastics and bio‐fuels), charcoal for cooking and heating, and so much more.
