EFFECT OF MOISTURE CONTENT ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF TREATED BORASSUS IN CONCRETE

The aim of thisscientificworkis to investigate the effect of moisture content on the behaviour of borassus in concrete. At the beginning of thisstudy, characterisation tests are carried out on the materials used. These materials include Nokoue lagoonsand, rolledgravelfrom the Mono, concrete and cut-to-length rônier. Afterformulating the concrete using the DREUX - GORISSE method, the Borassus plant reinforcementsweretreated with a hydraulicwaterproofing binder (cement glue, bitumen and Flintkote Be3) and nine (09) beamswere made, three (03) per category of waterproofingtreatment. In addition, three (03) control beams are used as comparison materials. The analysis of all the results of the four-point bending tests led us to the conclusion that Flintkote Be3 and bitumen are very effective waterproofingproducts for the treatment of the surfaces of rônier wood beforethey are introducedinto the concrete, because the smaller the variation in the moisture content of the beams (example of PARB beam: 2.36%), the greater the resistancetheydevelop to the appliedload (example of PARB beam: 19.36 ± 1.84 kN) and consequently the lower the deformability of the beams. It thenappearsthatbitumen and Flintkote Be3 canthereforeact as a productthateliminates the dimensional variations of borassus reinforcements in concrete and provides good resistance of borassus-reinforced structures.