Study of the mechanical properties of raffia bamboo Vinifera L. Arecaceae

Abstract

Raffia Vinifera L. Arecacea is a type of fast-growing palm, which is found in marshy environments and along rivers. In this study, the “Raffia Bamboo” is the stalk of a Raffia palm widely used in the West Region of Cameroon as a building material. From the litterature review, few informations about its elastic properties are available. Our investigations focused on the elastic moduli and strengths of raffia bamboo and the consequent analysis. The raffia bamboo is a composite material, consisting of a fragile marrow (matrix) inside a thin shell (reinforcement), smooth and hard which protects the marrow. The experimental determination of its elastic properties at 13% moisture content allowed us to evaluate: the shear modulus of the marrow (about 5.8 MPa); the respective longitudinal elastic moduli of the shell, the marrow and the raffia bamboo (17 043 MPa; 959 MPa; 13 008 MPa); the transverse elasticity modulus of the raffia bamboo (about 3 149) ; and finally, the tensile strength of the shell (247 MPa), the respective bending strengths of the marrow and raffia bamboo (738 MPa; 5943 MPa) . From the analysis of the results, the elastic properties of the raffia bamboo Vinifera L. Arecacea allow us to classify this material among the light woods, useful for construction and decoration.