Effect of interlaminar basalt fiber veil reinforcement on mode I fracture toughness of basalt fiber composites

Abstract Composite structures are vulnerable to delamination under out‐of‐plane loading due to the absence of reinforcing fibers in the thickness direction. This paper introduced the interlaminar basalt fiber veil technique to improve the interlaminar fracture toughness of basalt fiber‐reinforced thermoplastic composite laminates. The reinforcement effect of the basalt fiber veil on G IC of composite laminates was investigated by a double cantilever beam (DCB) test. The toughening effect, damage morphology, and the basalt fiber veil toughening mechanism were analyzed by mechanical response, optical photos, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the basalt fiber veil could significantly inhibit the propagation of interlaminar cracks. Compared to the unreinforced specimen, the maximum load of basalt fiber veil‐reinforced laminate was increased by 73%, the average platform load was increased by 72.7% and the G IC was increased by 157%. Highlights Improvement of G IC of basalt fiber‐reinforced thermoplastic laminates by basalt fiber veil. The toughening mechanism for the basalt fiber veil. The G IC of the fiber veil‐reinforced laminate was 157% higher than the unreinforced laminate.