Improved tensile properties of basalt fibre reinforced polymer composites using silica nanoparticles

In this study, the effect of silica nanoparticles as the reinforcing filler on the tensile response of basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) composite was investigated. A 40 wt.% nanosilica gel in epoxy was used to prepare a series of nanocomposites with 5 wt.%, 15 wt.% and 25 wt.% nanosilica. Static uniaxial tensile tests were conducted on the basalt fibre reinforced polymer composite to investigate the stress‐strain response of the unmodified and nanomodified composites. It was found that the incorporation of silica nanoparticles with high specific surface area improved the tensile properties of the basalt fibre reinforced polymer composite. The addition of silica nanoparticles in the composite shows significant improvement in tensile modulus with 6 %, 14 % and 19 % for 5 wt.%, 15 wt.% and 25 wt.% nanosilica content, respectively. The higher content of silica nanoparticles in the matrix increased the stiffness of the material as well as the strength of the basalt fibre reinforced polymer composite without reducing the failure strain.