Bambusa Balcooa
Bambusa Balcooa is what Abari has been using a lot in its construction in Janakpur. Locally it is known as Harot, Dhanu Bans or Bhalu Bans. It is known to be one of the strongest bamboo. It is found mostly in Terai and also in Bhutan, Bangladesh and India. In Maithili language, it is known as Harot, which means a viga. They are very strong, but due to starch content it is known to decay fast. However, Abari’s treatment method has seems to have solved that problem.
Here are some of the details on it
Scientific Name: Bambusa Balcooa,
Compressive Strength (From the base to the top) Green
30.4 to 50.6 N/mm sq. Air dry 51.0 to 57.3 N/mm sq.
Elasticity Green 7.2 to 10.3 kN/mm sq. Air Dry 9.3 to
12.7 kN/mm sq.
Moisture content ( From base to the top) decreases
from 100 to 66%.
Rupture: Air Dry 92.6 to 69.6 N/mm sq.
Shrinkage: Wall thickness Reduced from 11.1 to 4.8%
Diameter Reduced from 4.2 to 2.5 %
Specific Gravity 0.79 to 0.85 %
Source :
Kabir, M.F, D.K Bhattacharjee, and M.A Sattar. 1991 Physical and Mechanical Properties of Four Bamboo Species. Bangladesh Journal of Forest Science. 20: 31-36