Design Value of the Compressive Strength for Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Composite Based on a Reliability Analysis

The objective of this study was to determine the design value for the compressive strength (CS) for bamboo fiber-reinforced composite (BFRC) based on a reliability analysis. A total of 180 specimens were subjected to static compressive testing. The CS of the BFRC was significantly higher than that of raw bamboo and other bamboo-based composites, and its cumulative probability distribution accorded with a normal distribution. Furthermore, a calculation program of the reliability index (β) was developed by adopting the first-order second-moment method. Results of the reliability analysis indicate that β increases nonlinearly not only with the enhancement of the partial coefficient but also with the live-to-dead load ratio in all the simulation load cases. The simulation load case of the maximum and minimum β is G+LO and G+LS, respectively. To meet the target reliability requirement, it is suggested that the design value of CS for BFRC be 43.247 MPa and the partial coefficient be 2.0.