Investigation on the effect of stacking sequence on mechanical properties of a basalt and carbon fiber hybrid composite

Abstract

In the recent times, usage of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) is inevitable in almost all the engineering sectors especially in Aerospace industries. In spite of its wide range of applications, the usage is currently limited due to its higher cost while compare to the other forms of composite. To overcome this issue, recent researches have introduced low cost high strength composite materials. The present work attempts to investigate the mechanical properties of hybrid composite made out of Carbon and Basalt fiber. The hybrid composites are fabricated through compression moulding technique with different stacking sequence of ply laminates. The fabricated laminates are then subjected to tensile, flexural, hardness and impact tests as per ASTM standard to characterize the mechanical properties. From the experimental results it is evidenced that the strength of hybrid laminates were strongly dependents on the stacking sequence of fiber reinforcement. The fabricated laminates of carbon fiber as top layer reveal improved mechanical strength than that of basalt fiber as top layer. The microstructural investigations also been done on the fabricated composites and are reported.