Investigation on the effect of erodent velocity on the erosion of 3/2 BLARE laminates

Abstract

Basalt Fibres made from crushed basalt igneous rock by the rapid cooling of lava. Due to their low cost and excellent mechanical properties, basalt fibres used in many applications such as automotive, boat building, civil engineering, wind turbine blades, and sporting goods. Present work deals with the mechanical and erosion response of basalt fiber reinforced epoxy stack Aluminum (AA) fiber metal laminates (BLARE). Fiber metal laminates were fabricated under the hot compression route by alternatively stacking the basalt/epoxy composites with AA foils. Erosion studies were conducted using an air jet erosion test-rig by varying the input process parameters such as jet pressure, Flow rate, and impingement angle. The changes in properties such as mass, density, and roughness of aluminium skin with basalt fibres reinforcements as a function of process parameters were discussed with the aid of electron imaging. Results reveal that increase in abrasive jet velocity significantly erodes mass at the onset, and at a higher velocity rate, the erosion was low due to the surface rolling effects of abrasive particles as understand from the electron imaging.