A Comprehensive Study on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Glass/Basalt Short Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

Basalt fibres are gaining interest in the fibre-reinforced thermoplastic industries around the world. In this work, basalt and glass short fibres reinforced polypropylene composites were produced using twin-screw extrusion and followed by injection molding. To carry out a comprehensive study on physical and mechanical properties, the composites were produced with different proportions of fibre loadings (for both fibres 5, 10, and 20 wt %). Composites were characterized and studied for tensile (at different strain rates), flexural (at different speeds), impact, dynamic mechanical analysis, density, tensile-relaxation, melt flow index test, and rheometric properties. Results indicate that tensile, flexural, dynamic mechanical analysis, and tensile-relaxation properties increased with increasing fibre proportions in the polypropylene matrix. The melt flow and rheometric behaviors of polypropylene decreased significantly with the addition of short fibres into the matrix. The overall results showed that basalt fibres can be potentially used as replacements for glass fibre to develop these thermoplastic composites.