Study on the surface modification of wetting penetrant and nonlinear creep of continuous basalt fiber/epoxy resin composites

The surface modification of basalt fiber (BF) was carried out by using a wetting and penetrating agent in conjunction with a silane coupling agent, followed by winding and molding to prepare basalt fiber/epoxy resin (BF/EP) composite materials. The bending performance of BF/EP was determined using a universal material testing machine, and the creep properties of BF/EP composite materials were measured at different stress levels for 240 min. The surface morphology of the fiber and the bending fracture surface were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and the effect of fiber surface modification on various mechanical properties was analyzed. The results show that the surface modification of BF using a wetting and penetrating agent in combination with a silane coupling agent is an effective approach to enhance the bending performance and inter-laminar shear strength of BF/EP composites. The FESEM morphology analysis reveals that this synergistic modification of BF enhances the interfacial properties between the fiber and the resin, which contributes to the improved mechanical properties of the composite material. Moreover, the short-term creep experiments conducted at various stress levels indicate a significant reduction in creep compliance increment, which suggests that the modified BF/EP composite material has better creep resistance. The improved Findley model provides a useful tool to predict the creep properties of BF/EP composites at different stress levels, which can help optimize their design and performance in practical applications. © 2024 Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA). All rights reserved.