Mr. Praveen Mehetre will present his APS as per the details below:

Date: 25th February 2026

Time: 0800 - 0900 hrs.

Venue: C-TARA Conference Room 1 

Title: Bamboo Portal Frame for Rural Infrastructure

Guide: Prof. Chaaruchandra Korde

RPC Members: Prof. Yogesh Desai and Prof. Pennan Chinnasamy

Abstract:

In many rural areas of India, livestock shelters and farm sheds are constructed without proper engineering design or reference to building codes. Small and medium shelters often face problems such as excessive deflection, weak joints, and structural instability. There is a clear need for affordable and durable systems that follow basic engineering principles and specifications.

Bamboo is a fast-growing and locally available material that can serve as a sustainable alternative to steel and reinforced concrete. However, due to variation in material properties and joint behaviour, bamboo structures must be properly analysed and designed.

As part of this study, a training programme and field visits to small, medium, and large cow shelters, including BIAF farms, were undertaken to understand practical span requirements and common structural issues. Based on these observations, an 8.0 m bamboo truss and a two-bay portal frame were analysed using STAAD.Pro. The results show that, when designed using proper engineering methods, bamboo systems can satisfy stress, deflection, and stability requirements for rural infrastructure with multiple applications.

Keywords: Bamboo structures, Rural infrastructure, Portal frame, Truss system, Structural design, Livestock shelters