Thermomechanical characterization of basalt fiber reinforced biodegradable polymers

In the present study the effectiveness of two different biodegradable polymers, namely Polylactic acid (PLA) and ECOVIO (EC), a blend of a copolyester and PLA, as matrix materials for basalt fiber composites, prepared with the “film stacking method” has been investigated. Comparison with composites based on glass fiber mat has also been performed. The addition of basalt fibers, leads to a significant improvement in tensile and flexural strength and stiffness. The ECOVIO/basalt fiber composites exhibited the highest percentage enhancement, while the failure strain decreased dramatically. Therefore, the basalt fabrics appear to have a competitive mechanical performance with the glass fiber mats employed.