Basalt/Glass Fiber Polypropylene Hybrid Composites: Mechanical Properties at Different Temperatures and under Cyclic Loading and Micromechanical Modelling

Abstract

Basalt/glass fiber polypropylene hybrid composites were developed as subjects of investigation, with the aim to characterize their properties. An injection molding machine was used to produce the test samples. The following three different tests, at various specimen temperatures, were conducted: tensile test, three-point flexural test, and Charpy impact test. To determine fatigue behavior, the samples were uniaxially loaded and unloaded. Mechanical hysteresis loops were recorded and the dissipation energy of each loop was calculated. To determine the adhesion and dispersion between the fibers and the matrix, the fractured surfaces of the various specimens, after the tensile test, were investigated using a scanning electron microscope. The results show that the production of a composite with both basalt and glass fibers, in a polypropylene matrix with maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene, can be successfully achieved. The addition of the two types of fibers increased the tensile strength by 306% and the tensile modulus by 333% for a composition, with 20% by weight, of fibers. The material properties were estimated with the help of a simulation software, and validated with a FEA. A satisfactory correlation between the simulation and measurement data was achieved. The error lays in a range of 2% between the maximum stress values. At a lower strain (up to 0.02), the stress values are very well matched.