Prediction of enhanced interfacial bonding strength for basalt fiber/epoxy composites by micromechanical and thermomechanical analyses

Abstract

The interphase region between inclusions and a polymer matrix plays an important role in determining the interfacial bonding strength of polymer composites. We present the interplay between wettability and apparent viscosity of liquid epoxy composites to investigate the effect of physicochemical modification on the creation of interphase regions in basalt fiber composites. The combination of various chemical coatings and plasma treatment was used to investigate the interfacial bonding strength at the interphase regions. The thermorheological and thermomechanical properties of the composites were measured to verify structural inhomogeneity and mechanical damping of the composites. We visually represent the microstructural anisotropy of the composites composed of the inclusions with fiber length and orientation distributions based on the Mori–Tanaka approach. The theoretical model provides comprehensive insight into the effects of fiber length, fiber orientation, and fiber efficiency factor on the elastic modulus and interfacial shear strength of the composites.