Low Velocity Impact Behavior of Carbon/Basalt Fiber Reinforced Intra-Ply Hybrid Composites

The effect of hybridization on the low velocity impact behavior of woven carbon/basalt fiber reinforced intra-ply hybrid composites was investigated experimentally. Three types of basalt and carbon based homogeneous with 60 % volume fraction of neat fiber (basalt fiber and carbon fiber) and twill intra-ply hybrid composite laminates with 30 % wt. carbon and 30 % wt. basalt fiber content were fabricated by Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion Molding (VARIM) method. Improvement of the impact toughness and reduction in the cost of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites was the main purpose of using this type of hybrid composites. Energy profile method was used to determine impact penetration threshold. In this regard drop weight tests were carried out in 20, 50, 60 and 80 J energy magnitudes. The results indicate that the impact performance of homogenous composites was improved by hybridization.