Study on properties of basalt continuous fiber reinforced PMMA composites by vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI)

Abstract In the preparation of continuous fiber‐reinforced composites, the replacement of thermosetting resin by thermoplastic resin is an inevitable trend of development. In this study, PMMA+MMA binary liquid resin (PMBLR) with different viscosities was prepared by adjusting different molecular weights of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and its concentration in methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA/basalt fiber (BF) composite laminates were prepared by employing Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and N, N‐dimethylaniline (DMA) as the redox initiator to fabricate the casting and the PMMA/BF composite by VARI. The mechanical properties were measured and compared between PMMA/BF and Epoxy/BF composites. It was found that the PMMA castings exhibit optimal mechanical properties at a M n of 5.2 × 10 4 g/mol and a PMMA to MMA mass ratio of 29/100 with the viscosity of 307 mPa·s. The mechanical properties of PMMA/BF composites were tested, which suggested that 90° tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and short beam shear strength are higher than those of BF/epoxy composites. The 90° tensile strength and tensile modulus of BP2‐c are 14.08% and 2.37% higher than those of BEp, respectively. The flexural strength of BP2‐c is 24.31% higher than that of BEp, and the short beam shear strength is 12.75% higher than that of BEp. Highlights A continuous basalt fiber‐reinforced PMMA/BF composite by VARI was prepared. The mechanical properties of PMMA/BF were comparable to those of the Epoxy/BF composite.