Bamboo-Inspired Renewable, Lightweight, and Vibration-Damping Laminated Structural Materials for the Floor of a Railroad Car

It is important for the floor of railroad cars to be fitted with vibration-and noise-reducing, fire-resistant, and durable materials. In this study, inspired by a delicate and ordered bamboo gradient structure and excellent multilevel interfaces, we fabricated a laminated composite with characteristics similar to those of the bamboo structure using a simple and effective top-down method by laminating fast-growing wood, waste rubber, and bamboo charcoal plastic sheets made of bamboo processing residues. This composite material combines the unique advantages of a laminated structure design and composite interface bionics. The low density (0.73 g/cm(3)) of the laminated composite results in a specific modulus of 13.03 GPa cm(3)/g, a vibration damping ratio of 6.61%, and an impact toughness of 14.16 J/cm(2), which is significantly higher than that of other wood-based composites used for high-speed rail floors, such as Birch plywood (BP). In addition, we also investigated the laminated composite bonding property, fire resistance, and fatigue performance. This biomimetic bamboo-wood composite material has great potential for application in fitting the floor of eco-friendly railway cars.

Automated summary

Inspired by bamboo structure and multilevel interfaces, a biomimetic bamboo-wood composite material with low density and excellent vibration damping performance has been successfully fabricated. This composite material shows great potential for application in fitting the floor of high-speed railway cars.