ASSESSING THE USE OF BAMBOO AS A BUILDING MATERIAL FOR ROOF COVERING IN DEVELOPING AREAS IN UGANDA
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Date
2025-12-11
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Uganda Christian University
Abstract
Bamboo is commonly used in roofing in the less developed areas of Uganda since it is a relatively cheap material. Its use on a larger scale is however hindered by rapid decay which affects primarily the untreated bamboo, the use of traditional methods such as smoking and water soaking, which does not effectively remove the danger of termites, fungi, borers and the effect of decay caused by moisture. This paper discusses the application of epoxy resin, a thermoset polymer, as a modern day treatment on bamboo roofing and therefore, increases its life and service life in humid tropical regions such as Kabaale and Busega. The research adopted an experimental comparative method in which sets of bamboo samples were prepared in untreated, the traditional treatment and the epoxy resin treated. Laboratory and field tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the bamboo and the findings clearly discussed for bamboo roof covering. A practical design of interlock roof was put forward where the treated bamboo culms were mixed with a base layer, ventilated and with bamboo battens, structural calculations indicated that the system of the roof is capable of supporting the environmental loads and a service life of 15-20 years
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Under graduate research