Mechanical behavior and failure modes of bamboo scrimber under quasi-static and dynamic compressive loads

•Quasi-static and dynamic compressive behavior of bamboo scrimber is investigated.•Dynamic increase factor describing strain rate effect is provided.•Phenomenological constitutive models are summarized.•Size and shape effect and mechanical properties in three loading directions are summarized. Bamboo scrimber (BS), a renewable fiber-reinforced composite, is considered an ideal alternative to traditional construction materials. To investigate the compressive mechanical response of BS at different strain rates, experiments were conducted in three directions (directions X, Y, and Z) under quasi-static and dynamic loads. Results indicate that the mechanical properties in direction X are better than the other two. The failure modes in direction X include bulking, shearing and debonding, while shearing and crushing modes occur in directions Y and Z, respectively. Four compression phenomenological constitutive models are summarized via the stress–strain relationship. The strain rate effect represented by a DIF model and the micro-mechanism can be interpreted as micro-inertia and local densification. Compressive strength and Young’s modulus also can be influenced by the size and shape effect.