Mechanical, thermomechanical, and local anisotropy analyses of long basalt fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites

Long fiber reinforced thermoplastics have received much attention owing to their high performances in comparison with short fiber reinforced thermoplastics. This work presents the effects of fiber lengths and compatibilizing agents on the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of long basalt fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites. We used an impregnation process to fabricate uniform unidirectional basalt fiber prepregs. Wax- and rubber-based compatibilizing agents were utilized to investigate the lubrication effect for the enhancement of fiber dispersion in the matrix. The wax-based compatibilizing agent played a role in enhancing the dispersability of basalt fibers, followed by a good processability of molten composites. We also performed a numerical calculation of local anisotropy analysis to investigate the fiber length and orientation effects on the mechanical properties of the composites. The theoretical prediction of mechanical properties for the long fiber reinforced composites was in a good agreement with the experiment, demonstrating that the fibers tended to be randomly oriented when the fiber length increased due to a high shear force during the processing.