Composite materials

Thesis: composite materials: bamboo

Hanneke Crezee
Denise Hak
Gymnasium Camphusianum,
Gorinchem
Composite materials: Bamboo 2



There are nine million bicycles
in Beijing
That's a fact... Katie Melua











soon, they will all be made of
bamboo!
Composite materials: Bamboo 3
Index

page
Prologue 4
Thanks to 5
Why China? 6
Why the province Sichuan? 7
Why this bamboo species? 8
Our plan 9
Costs 11
Appendix: 12
-Pictures of bamboo-made bicycle frames
-List of costs
-Lyrics of Michael Jacksons: heal the world
-Lyrics of Katie Melua: Nine million bicycles


Composite materials: Bamboo 4
Prologue
We are Hanneke Crezee and Denise Hak, both 17 years old, from the
Camphusianum Grammar School in Gorinchem. Were in the 6th form of
Secondary School and we have to make a kind of graduation paper.
Our science teacher showed us a handout about this project, a great
project. We thought this project is a good way to combine school with the
Third World, because we can use our business plan as our graduation
paper, and this also makes you realise there are people at the other side
of this world who need our help. Helping people with making a business
plan makes us feel good, so this would be a great thesis for us!
First we will tell you something about China, and the province Sichuan.
Then we will talk about bamboo, and the species we chose: Phyllostachys
bambusoides. After that we will show our plan, using bamboo to make
China a better place.

Composite materials: Bamboo 5
Thanks to

During this project we have been helped by many people. We would really
like to thank our families, for listening to our ideas about the project.

A special thanks goes to:

Mrs. Suppers-van Dinter, our chemistry teacher. She told us about the
imagine contest. Without her we wouldnt have known about its existing.
Marloes Borsboom, who told us everything about foundations who could
help us realise our project.
Lieke Smits and Bas v.d. Berg, who could tell us everything about
Imagine.
Bob Ursem, who helped us with our project.
Mr. Kogelbauer, who showed us the composite material department at
imperial College, London
Vikki Mendosa, our exchange student in Dartford, London.
Mr. Osseforth, our vice principal, who lead us during our trip to London.
Mr. and Mrs. Hak, who supported Denise, during her trip to China.
Albert-Jan Shi, who Works for Rural China Education. He told us more
about China.
Lulu Fan, who also gave us information about China.










(Thanks)


Denise Hak
Hanneke Crezee
Composite materials: Bamboo 6
Why China?

China, or officially Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo, is the third biggest
country in the world, after Russia and Canada, and has a surface of
9.571.300 km2. China has 1.2 billion inhabitants. It is a country with a lot
of poor people at the country side. About 29% of the inhabitants live near
the cities, where there is more prosperity. The other 71% lives at the
country side. At the country side, there is poverty because the missing of
employment. Thats why the country people try to reach the city, where
there is more chance to improve the prosperity. Because of this
urbanization, the government adjusts a prohibition to people who live in
the city but dont have a job.
We chose China for our project to create more employment, especially at
the country side.

Our project is about composite materials, and we want to use the natural
fibres of bamboo. So China is also qualified because in China we find the
most useable bamboo species. When we place our bamboo-bicycle fabric
in China, we create more employment at the country side and we can
have our own field with bamboo, so the transport costs are low or lack.

Besides that the Chinas economy is a fast growing economy. It is a
country which has to deal with a large part of the large percentage of the
total CO
2
-emission. In 2005 the CO
2
-emission was about 18.10
12
Kg.
Although the Chinese government did not want to sign the Kyoto alliance.

Plants might be a solution to reduce the CO
2
emission in the world. Plants
absorb CO
2
and convert the CO
2
into O
2
. By planting bamboo plants, we
should be able to help reducing the CO
2
-emission. That is important for
China, so we also chose China, to be the country of our project, for that
reason.














http://www.milieuennatuurcompendium.nl/indicatoren/nl0533-Koolstofdioxide-emissie-
door-gebruik-van-fossiele-brandstoffen,-mondiaal.html?i=9-20
Composite materials: Bamboo 7
Why the province Sichuan?

We want to make our project successful, so we have to build our fabric at
a place where our bamboo species Phyllostachys bambusoides can grow
optimal. We have to find out among which circumstances we can get most
out of our bamboo species, to find a good location for the bamboo and for
our fabric. We want our bamboo to grow near the fabric to keep the costs
for transport low.
We have to take into account:
-climate
-woodland and especially on lower cleared slopes.
Those qualities are findable in Sichuan. Sichuan is the best province for
agriculture. This is because of the climate; the winters are softly and the
summers are warm with lots of rain.













Sichuan
Capital city: Chengdu
Location: Southwest China
Surrounding provinces: Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu,
Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan
Surface: 570.000 km2
Population: 100 million
Composite materials: Bamboo 8
Why did we choose the bamboo species
Phyllostachys
bambusoides?

Bamboo is a grass and is one of the
fastest growing plants on earth.
Considering the structure, it is just like
wood. A big difference is that in a short
time bamboo might be useful for any kind
of production. It is a strong material, very
durable and comparative cheap. Because
of its strength, it is possible to use
bamboo as a fibre in composite materials.
A large profit of bamboo used in composite
materials, is that bamboo is a natural
fibre. This means that it is long lasting and
environmentally friendly.
The stalk of bamboo consists of internodes
and partitions. If you want to make
optimally use of your bamboo, you have to
choose a species with very long internodes
and as less partitions as possible.
We choose the bamboo species
Phyllostachys bambusoides, because it is
the fastest growing bamboo species. The
Phyllostachys bambusoides, also named as
giant bamboo, doesnt have many
partitions, so not much bamboo will get
lost. For our project, we use the
internodes of the bamboo, and the
internodes of this bamboo species are very
long, so that we can use most of the
bamboo.

Composite materials: Bamboo 9
Our plan

Our plan is to build a fabric in China, in the province Sichuan, to produce
bicycles from bamboo composite materials.


Because the Chinese people are not very tall, we decide to produce small
bicycles.
For one bicycle we need:

Size
top
tube
length
TT
seat
tube
angle
ST
set
back
SB
chain
stay
length
stand
over
height
b.b.
drop
head
tube
angle
HT
head
tube
length
HT
wheel
base
46 50 75 11.9 39 71.5 4 72 9.1 93.4

50+75+11.9+39+71.5+4+72+9.1= 425.9 cm.

So for one bicycle we need 425.9 cm, which is about 14 feet.
The average height of the Phyllostachys bambusoides is about 50 feet.
This way we could make 3 bicycles out of one bamboo plant.

To make the bicycles strong, we will use not just bamboo, but composite
materials out of bamboo. That way the bamboo will be long lasting. To
make a composite material, we use the bamboo slice, and pour epoxy (or
another thermosetting matter) into it. The epoxy needs to dry, and then it
will become very strong. To be sure the epoxy is hard enough, to use the
bamboo composite, we will wait at least one week. After that week, the
composite materials will be useful to produce bicycles.

To connect bamboo slices, we will use hemp-robe. For one bicycle we
need about 2 metres.
To produces the bicycles, we need three months maximum
(including the drying of the epoxy).

Composite materials: Bamboo 10

Bicycle frame, made of bamboo

Composite materials: Bamboo 11
Costs

First months of our project, we will try to reduce the costs.
Because our project is in China, the salary we have to pay is not much,
compared to European norms.
Before using the bamboo we have to wait at least 3 months, during those
months we need just one or two employers to spud out weeds. After one
month we can plant a second field with bamboo. This way we could
harvest the bamboo, when we are also making bicycles already. The time
from planting the bamboo till producing bicycles, we call a project.
When we are going to produce the bicycles we need more employers. First
time we need to keep our project small, so we do not need many
employers. To start producing we think we should use about twenty
employers. The costs of one employer is 40 a month, so we have to pay
(20. 40.3)+(2.40.3)=2640 per project.

Besides that we need to buy enough bamboo. First years we want to keep
our project small. The first time we are going to plant bamboo, we want to
use 100 bamboo plants. We need 1 plant for making three bicycles. So
this way, we are able to make at least 300 bicycles.
The cost of one plant is 14. So the costs for bamboo are 100. 14=
1400.
To connect to slices bamboo used for our bicycles we need hemp. For one
bicycle we need about 2 metre. Hemp-robe costs 50 per 10 metre. For
our project of 300 bicycles that might cost 30000.

We also have to buy a field. The bamboo grows best if we plant a slice 1
metre besides another one. Because we want to plant 100 slices of
bamboo, a field which has a surface of 100m
2
.

To produces the bamboo we need machines. First of all we need a tractor
to harvest the bamboo. A Dutch tractor costs about 40000.
Composite materials: Bamboo 12
Appendix


Bicycle frame, made of bamboo

Bamboo Frame Sizing
Pro / Cross / Triathlon / MTB and Custom
Frames


Pro Road: 46 to 66cm stock frames see table

Cross Frame: less steep seat and head tube angles see table

Triathlon / TT: 650c wheels (700c on option), steeper seat tube, longer
top tube, shorter stem see table

Mountain Bike: Disc ready frames for 26" and 29" mtb wheels see table
Composite materials: Bamboo 13

Custom: frames built to order from 30cm to 70cm. Around 1 in 8 people
need a full custom frame, most people can fit a stock frame in comfort.

Pro Frame Geometries
Size*
top
tube
length
TT
seat
tube
angle
ST
set
back
SB
chain
stay
length
stand
over
height
b.b.
drop
head
tube
angle
HT
head
tube
length
HT
wheel
base
46** 50 75 11.9 39 71.5 4 72 9.1 93.4
48 51.5 74.5 12.7 41.5 74.0 7 72 9.1 97.0
50 52.5 74.5 13.4 41.5 76.2 7 72.5 10.0 97.1
52 53 74 14.3 41.5 77.4 7 73 11.3 97.2
54 54.8 73.5 15.3 41.5 79 7 73 12.8 98.0
56 56 73 16.4 41.5 81.3 7 73.5 15.0 98.8
58 57 73 17.0 41.5 82.3 7 74 16.0 99.4
60 58.3 72.5 18.0 41.5 84.4 7 74 18.0 100.0
62 60 72.25 19.0 41.5 85.8 7 74 20.0 101.0
64 61 72 19.8 41.5 87.3 7 74 22.0 102.0
66 63.3 71.5 20.8 41.5 88.0 7 74 24.0 104.3
*Frame size is measured from centre of bottom bracket to bottom of
binder. Measure stand over height (ground to top of top tube) and add 1
to 2cm to be sure of proper fit.
**46 cm frames use 650 c wheels
Composite materials: Bamboo 14

Michael Jackson Heal the World
There's a place in your heart and I know that it is love
And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow
And if you really try you'll find there's no need to cry
In this place you'll feel there's no hurt and sorrow
There are ways to get there if you care enough for the living
Make a little space
make a better place

Heal the world
make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

If you want to know why there's a love that cannot lie
Love is strong it only cares of joyful giving
If we try we shall see in this bliss we cannot feel
Fear or dread we stop existing and start living
Then it feels that always love's enough for us growing
Make a better world
So make a better world

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

And the dream we were conceived in will reveal a joyful face
And the world we once believed in will shine again in grace
Then why do we keep strangling life?
Wound this earth crucify its soul
Though it's plain to see this world is heavenly
Be God's glow

We could fly so high let our spirits never die
In my heart I feel you are all my brothers
Create a world with no fear
Together we'll cry happy tears
See the nations turn their swords into ploughshares

We could really get there if you cared enough for the living
Make a little space
To make a better place

Composite materials: Bamboo 15
Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying if you cared enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me
You and for me (make a better place)
You and for me (make a better place)
You and for me (make a better place)
You and for me (heal the world we live in)
You and for me (save it for our children)
You and for me (heal the world we live in)
You and for me (save it for our children)
You and for me (heal the world we live in)
You and for me (save it for our children)
You and for me (heal the world we live in)
You and for me (save it for our children)
Composite materials: Bamboo 16
Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles


There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That's a fact,
It's a thing we can't deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die.

We are twelve billion light years from the edge,
That's a guess,
No-one can ever say it's true
But I know that I will always be with you.

I'm warmed by the fire of your love everyday
So don't call me a liar,
Just believe everything that I say

There are six BILLION people in the world
More or less
and it makes me feel quite small
But you're the one I love the most of all

INTERLUDE
We're high on the wire
With the world in our sight
And I'll never tire,
Of the love that you give me every night

There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That's a Fact,
it's a thing we can't deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die

And there are nine million bicycles in Beijing
And you know that I will love you till I die!