Effects of Surface Treatments on Mechanical Properties of Continuous Basalt Fibre Cords and Their Adhesion with Rubber Matrix

To improve the mechanical properties and the adhesion to a natural rubber (NR)/styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) matrix, continuous basalt fibre (CBF) cords with and without a silane coupling agent (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (KH550) treatment were dipped into a typical resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex (RFL) system. The breaking force and elongation at break of the cords were tested using a universal testing machine. The adhesive properties were evaluated by both static mode and dynamic (fatigue) mode with H-shape cord-rubber samples. An elastomer testing system was employed to conduct the fatigue test, and the evolution of the adhesive properties between the CBF cord and the NR/SBR matrix was tracked. The interfacial fracture caused by H pull out and fatigue were both observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results of this investigation show that the RFL-dipping treatment can significantly improve the mechanical properties of the CBF cord and its adhesion to the NR/SBR matrix, and the pre-treatment of the CBF cord with KH550 can further improve the interfacial fatigue property.