ABSTRACT

Exploring natural occurring materials as an engineering manufacturing material is a growing interest. The mechanical Properties of a locally sourced Bamboo specie (Bambusa Vulgaris) were studied for possible structural applications in engineering by comparing its mechanical properties with that ofa structural Steel andAluminurn Alloy. Basically, the hand lam ination method. bending and compression techniques were employed to manufacture the Bamboo blade. When the stress concentration and strain deformation of the bnrnboo blade as regards to Von-Mises stress. VonMises strain and Deflection were compared with that for structural steel and Aluminum alloy, it is seen that the Bamboo material can be used as a suitable replacement for this synthetic materials which are rather not abundant in nature like Bamboo. The result showed that the bamboo blade had a Von-Mises stress of 989.48 MPa while structural steel had a Von-rn ises stress of]. 069 GPa andAluminum alloy hada von-mises stress of 646 MPa. More so, on the basis of Von-Mises strain and deflection, the Bamboo material had a value of3. 514e-2 for strain and a value of 0. ] 8257 mm for deformation, the Structural steel had a value of] 7. ] 6e-2for strain and a value of 0. 00348 mm for deformation, the Aluminum alloy had a value of 4. ]24e-2 for strain and a value of 0. 082 7mm for deformation. The above results indicate that Bamboo is suited for low cost applications in engineering and is a good alternative to synthetic materials for the design and manufacturing of Wind turbine blades. Hence, Bamboo blades can operate effectively in the same operating conditions with that of structural steel and Aluminum. alloy.