Lethbridge College. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge College grads win award for research into bamboo for construction projects

Jul 29, 2019 | 12:48 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET) has named the winners of this year’s Capstone Project of the Year Award.

Tyson Baldrey, Allan Johnston, and Randy Holmberg are graduates of Lethbridge College’s (LC) engineering design and drafting technology training program.

They looked into using bamboo as a viable alternative to steel reinforcement rebar in concrete in construction projects.

“We needed to ensure that our topic of choice had relevant supplementary research from which we could build upon or add value,” says Baldrey. “The combination of bamboo and concrete is well established in the research pool, but we found that there was still room for improvement and analysis of suitability from a North American perspective,” said Baldrey.

The trio used various combinations of test materials before landing on using synthetic and/or organic polymers as an injectable to boost the structural characteristics of bamboo.

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They concluded that additional research was required to further develop the process of refining the bamboo for use in concrete, and, since their project looking into small scale loads, scaling research to analyze in larger load applications.

“At ASET, we are always awestruck by the incredible innovation and ingenuity of our Capstone winners and finalists, and the exceptional contribution these young people make to our society because of the quality of the education they receive at polytechnics like Lethbridge College,” said ASET CEO Barry Cavanaugh.

The Capstone Awards were established in 2017 and includes engineering technology students from LC, NAIT, SAIT, and Red Deer College as part of their end-of-program requirements.