Investigation of the Physical, Mechanical and Chemical Properties of the Marrow of Raffia Hookeri

Abstract

The bamboo marrow of raffia hookeri (BMRH) has been characterized for a potential alternative to synthetic materials and possible new applications. This work consisted in investigating the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of raffia bamboo. Different functional groups and the degradation of BMRH were analyzed respectively by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric (TG/DTG). The results indicate that the functional groups present and the degradation temperature are similar to cellulosic materials of the same species. Determination of the density of BMRH shows that it is very low and can be considered as a very light wood. Stress relaxation tests (in uni-axial compression) at different stages in the loading and unloading phase were carried out. The results of the stress relaxation show a high and non-linear viscoelastic and viscoplastic behavior of BMRH (in both loading and unloading).

Keywords

• wood
• bamboo hookeri
• relaxation
• thermo gravimetric
• density