This study focuses on the use of heavy fuel oil in construction material in
Burkina Faso. Its mixture with silty or clayey soil is used as a coating to rein
force the walls of raw earth constructions which are very sensitive to water.
The interest of this study is to determine erodibility, water content, while
highlighting the influence of the porosity accessible by water on thermal dif
fusion in construction material containing heavy fuel oil. The heavy fuel oil
was mixed with a silty-clayey soil, in different proportions, and water to make
bricks samples on which tests were carried out. At the end of the experimen
tal tests, it appears that the water content increases gradually, but not signifi
cantly with the addition of heavy fuel oil, which causes a slight increase in the
speed of heat propagation through the material with reduced porosity, partic
ularly those containing higher quantities of heavy fuel oil. Conversely, we
note a good performance of heavy fuel oil in terms of water resistance prop
erties such as porosity accessible by water and erodibility. This allows us to
conclude that the mixture of heavy fuel oil and silty-clayey soil used as a
coating material could greatly reduce water infiltration into the walls of
housing constructions with raw earthen materials.

Porosity Accessible by Water, Erodibility, Water Content, Thermal Diffusion