Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Thermal Properties of Longitudinal Basalt/Woven Glass Fiber Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Hybrid Composites.

Nur Izzah Nabilah Haris,Mohamad Zaki Hassan,S M Sapuan,Khairur Rijal Jamaludin,Sheikh Ahmad Zaki,Atiqah Afdzaluddin,R A Ilyas,Faizir Ramlie

doi:10.3390/polym13193343

Nur Izzah Nabilah Haris, Mohamad Zaki Hassan + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13193343

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Abstract

This study investigates the mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of basalt/woven glass fiber reinforced polymer (BGRP) hybrid polyester composites. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to explore the chemical aspect, whereas the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA) were performed to determine the mechanical and thermal properties. The dynamic mechanical properties were evaluated in terms of the storage modulus, loss modulus, and damping factor. The FTIR results showed that incorporating single and hybrid fibers in the matrix did not change the chemical properties. The DMA findings revealed that the B7.5/G22.5 composite with 7.5 wt% of basalt fiber (B) and 22.5 wt% of glass fiber (G) exhibited the highest elastic and viscous properties, as it exhibited the higher storage modulus (8.04 × 109 MPa) and loss modulus (1.32 × 109 MPa) compared to the other samples. All the reinforced composites had better damping behavior than the neat matrix, but no further enhancement was obtained upon hybridization. The analysis also revealed that the B22.5/G7.5 composite with 22.5 wt% of basalt fiber and 7.5 wt% of glass fiber had the highest Tg at 70.80 °C, and increased by 15 °C compared to the neat matrix. TMA data suggested that the reinforced composites had relatively low dimensional stabilities than the neat matrix, particularly between 50 to 80 °C. Overall, the hybridization of basalt and glass fibers in unsaturated polyester formed composites with higher mechanical and thermal properties than single reinforced composites.

Highlights

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are fabricated by blending reinforcing fibers with a polymer matrix [1]
All the identified bands are attributed to the chemical moieties in the unsaturated polyester chemical structure
Similar neat unsaturated polyester (UP) spectra were reported by Arrieta et al, Chukwu et al, and Koto and Soegijono [31,32,33]

Summary

Introduction

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are fabricated by blending reinforcing fibers with a polymer matrix [1]. In most cases, combining a matrix and reinforcing fiber results in composites with higher mechanical properties compared to the single components [2,3]. Scientists began to incorporate more than one type of reinforcing fibers in a single matrix, forming hybrid FRP composites [7,8,9]. The synergistic effects of hybridization between more than one fiber could overcome the drawbacks of single FRP composites. This technique is quickly gaining in popularity due to its ability to give the flexibility to alter the composite behavior, which is not possible with single FRB composites. It is essential to note that if the hybrid arrangement is not carefully planned, the resulting hybrid composite may have a lesser strength than its parts

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