Mechanical, fire, and smoke behaviour of hybrid composites based on polyamide 6 with basalt/carbon fibres

Abstract

This paper describes the hybridization of basalt and carbon fibres in polyamide 6 by injection moulding method and the analyses of the mechanical, morphological, fire, and smoke properties of the obtained materials. The content of basalt/carbon fibres in hybrid composites amounted to 5/5 wt%, 7/7 wt%, and 10/10 wt%. The addition of fibres resulted in an increase in mechanical properties of the examined materials, was reflected by the threefold increase of Young modulus for the composites containing 10/10 wt% of fibres. To investigate the aging, the samples were stored in distilled water for 1, 7, 14, 100, and 210 days. After 210 days, a significant decrease in mechanical properties was observed. Interestingly, the addition of fibres caused a 50% reduction in stiffness, whereas, in the case of neat polyamide 6, the decrease was about 78%. Additionally, the addition of fibres reduced water sorption. With the increasing fibre load, the decrease in the maximum average rate of heat emission was observed. In the case of composites containing 10 wt% of basalt fibres and 10 wt% of carbon fibres, it amounted to 207 kW/m2 and was lower by approx. 37% in comparison to the unmodified polymer.