Physico-mechanical characterization of heat-treated glued laminated bamboo

•The temperature of thermal treatment reduces the mass and density of the lamina of the giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus Munro).•The heat treatment improves the physical characteristics, but cause reduction in mechanical properties of glued laminated (glulam) bamboo.•The glued laminated (glulam) bamboo performance is influenced by heat treatment and adhesive. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of temperature on reducing the mass of giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus Munro) and on the physico-mechanical characteristics of glued laminated bamboo (glulam) as a function of the adhesives used. Stalks with an approximate age of three years were collected and divided into four sections longitudinally, which were immersed in water for 10 days and air-dried. The sections were transformed into laminas and heat-treated for one hour at 100, 140, 160, 180 and 200 °C. The adhesives used were based on resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF), urea–formaldehyde (UF) and polyvinyl acetate cross-linked (PVAc). The heat-treated panels were sized according to each test performed. There was a reduction in the mass of the lamina subjected to the highest heat modification temperatures. Beginning at 160 °C, there was an increase in the dimensional stability of the heat-treated bamboo glulam (HTGLB) with RF; however, there was a decrease in the material mechanical strength values. The temperature of 160 °C produced the best HTGLB characteristics.