Mechanical, thermogravimetric, and dynamic mechanical analysis of basalt and flax fibers intertwined vinyl ester polymer composites

The selection of fibers and their stacking sequence, which affect structural integrity and functional properties, are critical parts of polymer composite design. In this work, the influence of various stacking sequences made of basalt and flax fiber layers on the mechanical, thermal, and dynamic mechanical analyses of vinyl ester polymer composites was investigated. The stacking sequence designed by alternate basalt and flax layers showed higher tensile and flexural strengths, with basalt layers in the outer positions. The high-strength basalt fiber retains considerable stress, particularly in the outer layer, reducing stress transfer to the remaining core layers. The basalt and flax fiber alternative layered sequence with outer basalt layers shows a slightly lower thermal degradation temperature (467 degrees C) than the only basalt layered sequence composite (474 degrees C). Because of the high thermal resistance of the outer basalt layers, heat flow to the next fiber layers is reduced. The dynamic mechanical analysis reveals that the polymer composite intertwined with only basalt fiber was found to have a higher storage modulus. On the other hand, the outer basalt layers intertwined with the core flax layers composite showed a 122% higher damping value than the stacking sequence made of only basalt fiber due to the porous structure of flax fibers dissipating more vibration energy.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effect of different fiber stacking sequences on the performance of polymer composite materials. The alternating stacking sequence of basalt and flax layers shows better strength performance, with the outer basalt layers reducing stress transfer. The high thermal resistance of the outer basalt layers reduces heat flow to the next fiber layers. The composite material with outer basalt layers intertwined with core flax layers has better damping performance due to the porous structure of flax fibers dissipating more vibration energy.