Plastic Bamboo Connections
Transform plastic waste into a useful tool for remote and low-income areas
M.G.L. Sittrop (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Marcel Bilow – Mentor (TU Delft - Building Product Innovation)
FA Veer – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Structural Design & Mechanics)
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Abstract
This graduation project ''Plastic Bamboo Connections'' originates from a project called Bamboo Factory. A group of students, together with Bamboo Social and the Delft University of Technology, realized a Bamboo Factory in Esperanza, Nicaragua. In this factory bamboo can be treated and dried properly, making the bamboo last for 30-50 years, instead of the usual 3-5 years. The enlarged life expectancy unburdens the local people from reconstructing their houses every 5 years. To ensure this extended durability, the bamboo has to be lifted from the ground to keep it dry and the bamboo needs to be protected from direct sunlight by making a big overhanging roof. Next to the advantages of the treated bamboo, the extended durability of the bamboo also introduced a new challenge. A technique to mount the bamboo, that lasts for 30-50 years is lacking in Esperanza. Traditional lashings are used to construct bamboo structures. However, these lashings tend to loosen in about 5 years. For the Bamboo Factory steel M10 screw thread, nuts and rings where used. A quick and strong system for constructing with bamboo. However, these materials aren't locally available in Esperanza and are too expensive. A new system needs to be found. A proper waste treatment is lacking in Nicaragua. Waste can be found everywhere on the streets and in rivers, about 50% of the waste is plastic waste. In remote areas like Esperanza it is even more difficult to get rid of waste in a sustainable way. Resulting in incineration of the waste, which includes plastic. The goal of this project is to find a way to transform this plastic waste into a standardized system that enables local people in Esperanza to build with bamboo. When recycling contaminated plastic, drastic deterioration of the mechanical properties can be expected. Mechanical tests are performed on the recycled plastic to get an insight of the quality and the possible applications.
A relatively simple injection moulding machine is build in order to reprocess the plastic waste. The standardized set of connectors are designed to be produced with the injection moulding machine. In order to construct with this simple set of connectors, only a hammer and a saw are needed. Making it very affordable and feasible for people that live in low income and remote areas.