Effect of Vascular Bundles and Fiber Sheaths in Nodes and Internodes of Gigantochloa apus Bamboo Strips on Tensile Strength

Bamboo culm is in the form of a tube/pipe, composed of internodes which are bounded by a partition/diaphragm (node). Anatomically, bamboo is composed of vascular bundles and parenchyma ground tissue. One of the constituents of vascular bundles is fibers that are grouped to form a fiber sheath. The anatomical structure of the nodes and internodes is thought to influence the strength of bamboo strips, including tensile strength. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of vascular bundles (distribution and fiber percentage) and their effects on the density and tensile strength of Gigantochloa apus bamboo strips with and without nodes. The bamboo culms were divided into three parts (outer, middle, and inner) along the radial direction. The results showed that the distribution of vascular bundles and percentage of fiber sheaths decreased significantly from the outer to the inner layer. This also had a significantly decreased density and tensile strength. Furthermore, the number of vascular bundles (in the transverse plane) was greater in the internodes than in the nodes. Anatomically, the orientation of the vascular bundles at irregular nodes is observed in the radial and tangential planes, where the direction is not only in the axial direction, but also in the radial and tangential directions. This caused the tensile strength of the G. apus bamboo strips to be lower at the nodes than at the internodes.