Narrow Results

This study was evaluated by changing the mass loss ratio and the strength maintenance ratios of the fibers after treatment. The fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid solutions for different amount of times. The environmental resistance was analyzed by changing the time of treatment in NaOH and HCl solutions. The fibers’ surface corrosion morphologies were analyzed using the optical microscope. The acid resistance was much better than the alkali resistance for the basalt and slag fibers. Nevertheless, the situation for the glass fibers was different: the acid resistance was almost the same as the alkali resistance. Between the two types of aqueous environments evaluated, the alkali solution is the most aggressive to the fibers’ surface.

We investigated the effect of Halloysite nanotube (HNT) addition on the interfacial and bending properties of hybrid composites. Test specimens were prepared using a vacuum bag method, which is manufactured by using an autoclave device. Ultrasound device was used to uniformly disperse HNT nanoparticles into the epoxy. Amount of the nanoparticles was determined by the weight of the epoxy resin. The Fracture toughness, ILSS and bending strength of Aramid/Basalt fiber hybrid composite specimens were decreased by more than certain amount of HNT. This phenomenon is presumably due to aggregation of HNT.

At present, research is actively being conducted into composite materials using natural fibers and thermoplastic resins that can serve as eco-friendly materials. However, the weak interfacial bonding shape between natural fibers and thermoplastic resins leads to low mechanical properties in the natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite. This study examined the usage of basalt fibers (BFs) and polypropylene (PP) to address this issue. Plasma surface modification (PSM) was performed on the surface of the BF to improve the interfacial bonding force between the fiber and the thermoplastic resin. Studies on monomer selection (HMDSO), plasma generation conditions (3 kV), and surface modification time (20–150 s) were conducted to determine the optimal conditions for PSM. FT-IR analysis was performed to confirm the surface modification and the fracture surface was observed after the mechanical properties were measured. The experimental results confirmed the effect of PSM on the BF resulting in about 10% improvement on the related mechanical properties.

This paper investigates the friction and wear behavior of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber metal matrix composite for clutch facing applications by replacing the existing asbestos with Basalt fiber combination. Experiments are done to evaluate the friction and wear properties of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber metal matrix composite material under different sliding velocities and contact loads. The reinforcement percentage of Basalt fiber is varied from 0% to 10% in steps of 2.5% on the weight basis. At present, the clutch facing for the Multi Utility Vehicles (MUV) is made of asbestos as a primary content and its hazardous characteristics are taken into consideration. Initially, the clutch facing specifications of a MUV are observed through field studies and then, design calculations are performed to prepare the structural analysis using ANSYS workbench. The stress–strain characteristics of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber mixture are studied through the computational analysis before the fabrication process. Then, the specimen is fabricated by stir casting technique for the experimental investigation of friction and wear properties using pin-on-disk apparatus. The outcome of the analysis has revealed the use of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber metal matrix composite material as a replacement for the existing clutch facing applications and the results are presented with validations.

Basalt fiber reinforced reactive powder concrete, as a new type of construction material, has a lot of outstanding performances. For example: high strength, good flexibility, good wear-resisting and impact resistance, it also shows good property in corrosion resistance. However, the study on basalt fiber reinforced reactive powder concrete is still in the initial stage, the numerical simulation research on the fracture property is basically in the blank stage. In this paper, the smeared cracking model was used in the numerical simulation. Cube compressive strength test, prism axial compression test, cylinder splitting tensile test and three-point bending beam fracture tests were done to get the relative parameters. The parameters obtained from the tests were used to develop the smeared cracking model by using the finite element analysis software ABAQUS. Based on the correct numerical model parameters, the ABAQUS finite element software was used to analysis the three-point bending beam with different span-depth ratio. The comparison of numerical results with experimental results indicates a good agreement.