Basalt Fiber: A Game-Changer for the Low-Altitude Economy

1. Advantages of Basalt Fiber

1) Abundant Raw Material Reserves, Significant Cost Advantage

Basalt fiber is produced from basalt ore through a melt-drawing process. This ore is incredibly abundant on Earth and the Moon, providing a solid material foundation for large-scale production. Compared to other fiber materials, the rich raw material reserves give basalt fiber a clear cost advantage, enabling large-scale production with lower raw material input. This undoubtedly lays a strong economic foundation for its widespread application across various fields.

2) High Temperature Resistance and Thermal Shock Resistance: Beyond Imagination

Basalt fiber exhibits exceptional performance in extreme temperature environments. Its operating temperature range is incredibly wide, from -260℃ to 880℃, far exceeding common materials like aramid fiber, E-Glass Fiber, asbestos, rock wool, and stainless steel. Its performance is close to that of silica fiber, alumina-silica fiber, and ceramic fiber. Additionally, its thermal shock stability is excellent; its performance remains stable at 500℃, and it only loses 3% of its original weight even at 900℃. This characteristic makes it indispensable in applications requiring extremely high-temperature resistance.

3) Super Chemical Stability: Fearless of Environmental Erosion

Basalt fiber can confidently withstand both strong acid and strong alkali environments. Its acid and alkali resistance are superior to those of aluminum borosilicate fibers, and its durability, weather resistance, UV radiation resistance, water resistance, and oxidation resistance are comparable to natural basalt rock. This means that in various harsh natural and chemical environments, basalt fiber can remain stable and resist erosion, ensuring the long-term reliability of products that utilize it.

4) High Modulus and Strong Tensile Strength: Superior Mechanical Properties

In terms of mechanical performance indicators, basalt fiber performs exceptionally well. Its elastic modulus ranges from 85 GPa to 110 GPa, higher than E-glass fiber, asbestos, aramid fiber, polypropylene fiber, and silica fiber. Its tensile strength reaches 3000-4800 MPa, surpassing large-tow carbon fiber, aramid, PBI fiber, steel fiber, boron fiber, and alumina fiber, and is comparable to S-glass fiber. These excellent mechanical properties make basalt fiber an ideal reinforcement for enhancing the mechanical properties of composites, widely applied in fields requiring high-strength materials.

5) Excellent Sound Absorption and Noise Reduction, Outstanding Stealth Performance

Basalt fiber has a sound absorption coefficient as high as 0.9-0.99, which is higher than E-glass fiber and silica fiber, demonstrating excellent sound absorption and insulation properties. At the same time, it also possesses excellent electromagnetic wave transparency and certain wave absorption properties. These characteristics give it a unique advantage in stealth materials, meeting the special material requirements of defense and military fields and providing strong support for enhancing the stealth performance of related equipment.

2. Applications of Basalt Fiber in the Low-Altitude Sector

1) UAV Manufacturing

Due to its high strength and low density, basalt fiber can be used to manufacture components such as UAV fuselages, wings, and propellers. This reduces the UAV's weight while ensuring structural strength, improving its endurance and payload capacity, and significantly enhancing its operational efficiency and reliability. Additionally, basalt fiber can be used to manufacture UAV battery casings and sensor casings. Furthermore, UAVs may encounter collisions and scratches during flight; basalt fiber's high wear resistance and impact resistance enable its use in manufacturing protective casings or covers for UAVs, thereby protecting internal electronic equipment and mechanical structures from external environmental influences.

2) Low-Altitude Infrastructure Construction

Basalt fiber also plays a significant role in low-altitude infrastructure construction. It can be composited with materials like concrete for use in the construction of airport runways and aprons. The addition of basalt fiber can significantly increase the lifespan and load-bearing capacity of runways and aprons, ensuring the efficient and stable operation of airport facilities. For example, basalt fiber grids can be used for reinforcing airport runway pavements. In the manufacturing of control towers and navigation facilities, basalt fiber can be used to produce structural components such as towers and antenna brackets. Due to basalt fiber's excellent wind resistance, it can effectively improve the wind resistance and stability of these structural components, ensuring the normal operation of navigation facilities in complex meteorological conditions. Furthermore, basalt fiber is non-conductive and has wave-absorbing and transparent properties. Based on these characteristics, it also shows certain development potential in the construction of UAV infrastructure, such as radomes and 5G antenna covers.