SHEAR PERFORMANCE OF NAIL-FASTENED SHEATHING-TO-FRAMING CONNECTIONS IN CEMENT-BAMBOO FRAME SYSTEMS

The increasing demand for sustainable and affordable housing has encouraged the development of engineered bamboo construction systems such as Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), which integrates bamboo framing with cement-based cladding. Although previous studies have demonstrated the structural performance of CBFT and bamboo shear wall systems, limited research has investigated the localized behavior of nail-fastened sheathing-to-framing connections. This study experimentally evaluated the monotonic shear behavior of CBFT nail-fastened connections at the subassembly level. Eight connection configurations with rib lath and flattened bamboo cladding were tested with five replicates each by varying cladding type, stud orientation, nail quantity, and mortar infill. Load–displacement responses were analyzed to determine yield load, ultimate load, initial stiffness, ductility, and energy absorption, while failure modes and statistical significance were evaluated. Results showed that mortar infill and increased nail quantity significantly improved connection performance. The rib lath configuration with three staggered nails and mortar infill achieved the highest initial stiffness (839.87 N/mm), yield load (1418.38 N), and ultimate load (1726.64 N), whereas the flattened bamboo configuration with three nails and mortar infill achieved the highest energy absorption (50,272.26 N·mm). Mortar confinement shifted failure from nail pull-out to nail bending and cladding damage, indicating improved load transfer. These findings provide experimental data for improving CBFT connection design. However, the results are limited to monotonic connection-level behavior and do not represent the structural response of full-scale CBFT shear wall systems.