Temperature-Dependent Elastic and Damping Properties of Basalt- and Glass-Fabric-Reinforced Composites: A Comparative Study

Fiber-reinforced composite materials exhibit orthotropic behavior, characterized by complex orthotropic engineering constants such as Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and shear modulus. It is widely recognized that basalt fibers possess superior resistance to elevated temperatures compared to glass fibers. However, the behavior of these fibers within composites at typical operational temperatures for automotive and consumer goods applications has not been thoroughly investigated. A novel measurement setup based on the non-destructive impulse excitation method has been developed for the automated identification of complex orthotropic engineering constants as a function of temperature. This study provides a comparative analysis of the identified engineering constants of bidirectionally fabric-reinforced glass and basalt composites with an epoxy matrix, across a temperature range from −20 °C to 60 °C. The results reveal only minimal differences in stiffness and damping behavior between the examined glass and basalt samples.