Tensile behavior of hybrid epoxy composite laminate containing carbon and basalt fibers

This paper investigated the effect of the incorporation of basalt fibers on the tensile properties of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy laminates manufactured by vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. The purpose of this research was to design a carbon-basalt/epoxy hybrid composite material that is of low cost in production, is lightweight, and has good strength and stiffness. The tensile strength and stiffness of the hybrid laminates demonstrated a steady, linear decrease with an increase in basalt fiber content, but the fracture strain gradually increased together with the increase in the basalt layer content. In this study, the incorporation of basalt fibers into the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) showed lower tensile strength than CFRP but has higher tensile strain. Furthermore, we found that the arrangement and enhancement of basalt fiber into the CFRP significantly influence the mechanical properties of interply hybrid composites. Keywords: bonding; carbon fiber-reinforced plastic; composites; tensile test; vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM).