Effects of cryogenic treatment and interface modifications of basalt fibre on the mechanical properties of hybrid fibre-reinforced composites

Abstract

Although natural fibre-based thermoplastic composites (NFCs) have the advantages of environmental compatibility and low cost, their mechanical properties are still relatively poor. Hybridization with basalt fibres (BFs) can broaden the industrial applications of NFCs. Hybrid composites were manufactured by means of interlayer hybrid reinforcement; that is, the hybrid composites were prepared by the lamination moulding of BF prepregs and hemp/polylactide fibre (HF/PLA) felts. The effects of cryogenic treatment and interfacial modification in BF hybridization on the mechanical properties of HF/PLA composites were investigated. The study revealed that the hybridization of BFs with hemp fibres (HFs) significantly increased the mechanical properties of composites, and the cryogenic treatment and interface modification of BFs also improved the performance of hybrid composites. Compared with those of untreated BF-reinforced composites (UBF/HF/PLA), the tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength were increased by approximately 28.5% (120.82 MPa), 44.6% (90.29 MPa), and 192.1% (61.0 kJ/m2), respectively.