Comparison of water uptake behavior on tensile property of epoxy impregnated continuous basalt and slag filament composites

Abstract

Slag fiber has economic and environmental advantages in that it converts a low-value-added material to a high-value-added material. However, although the slag fiber has a chemical composition similar to basalt fiber, its competitiveness in the fiber industry is significantly lower. Moreover, the slag fiber remains in the pre-commercial stage due to the uncertainty and instability of the basic properties. Therefore, in this study, the slag fiber customized through the fiberization process was compared with the existing basalt fiber to analyze the effect of the similarity of chemical composition on the environmental degradation characteristics and mechanical properties under tensile loading. As a result, the slag filament composites showed lower tensile strength due to the weaker interfacial bonding strength with the epoxy matrix than the basalt filament composites, but the difference in decreased tensile strength rate was not significant. In addition, long-term moisture absorption in fresh water and seawater demonstrated excellent moisture absorption resistance.