Role of Basalt Fiber Impregnants
The use of infiltrants is one of the most common and effective coating treatments in the production of Basalt Fibers. The role played by the infiltrant in the basalt fiber molding and fiber composite production process is in the following four areas.
(1) Lubrication, protection role
Basalt fiber infiltration agent in the lubricant can fill the gap between the fibers, the formation of lubricating film, and reduce the coefficient of friction of the fiber. Therefore, coating lubricants can be used in the basalt fiber processing process to reduce the wear and tear of the original fiber filament and retain a higher strength, while reducing the uneven tension caused by the original filament hair breakage phenomenon, to meet the requirements of drawing and subsequent bundles of stranded, short cut, textile, and other operations, such as coating nanoparticle modified infiltration agent can enhance the basalt fiber bundling, and thus improve the breaking strength of the fiber. In addition, coated basalt fiber infiltrant can provide a layer of protective coating for basalt fibers, to prevent external corrosive substances or high-temperature environment on the adverse effects of basalt fibers.
(2) Bonding, bunching effect
The impregnating agent in the bonding component can be more than one basalt fiber monofilament bonding into a bunch of the original silk, to avoid the concentration of stress on a few monofilaments caused by the scattering of the silk and silk phenomenon, but also can effectively prevent the phenomenon of short-cutting process of yarn open fiber, to ensure the integrity of the fiber bundle. Therefore, in the short-cutting process, coated with a polyurethane-type infiltration agent can enhance the flexibility and impact resistance of basalt fiber composites, which can effectively avoid the occurrence of basalt fiber yarn cracking and loose silk phenomenon.
(3) Enhance the compatibility of the interface between basalt fiber and matrix material
The infiltrating agent can make the basalt fiber and matrix materialscombine in the form of Chemical bonds, and enhance the interfacial bonding force, which in turn improves the overall performance of basalt fiber composites. Coated with polyethylene-type infiltrant can improve the compatibility of the interface between basalt fibers and matrix materials, and the fiber-reinforced polyethylene resin composites prepared with infiltrated basalt fibers increased the tensile strength and tensile modulus by 20%-40% and 15%-20%, respectively, compared with those before modification.
(4) Give basalt fiber a certain processing performance
Coating the infiltrant can make the fiber surface smoother, improve its surface, help to improve the formability of basalt fiber so that it is easier to mold into the required shape and size, enhance the flexibility of processing, to meet the further processing and application of basalt fibers required for the short cut, tape, dispersion, antistatic, tensile properties. Through the tensile test, it can be seen that the tensile strength of basalt fiber increased from 1146.06 MPa to 2115.80 MPa after coating with an infiltrating agent, which is 84.62% higher than that of the original fiber.
