PSI - Issue 66

ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000 Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect

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Procedia Structural Integrity 66 (2024) 205–211

8th International Conference on Crack Paths A Comparative Study on Mechanical Properties and Failure Mechanisms in Basalt and Glass Fibre Reinforced Composites M. Totaro * , G. Risitano, G. Di Bella, D. Crisafulli, D. D’Andrea Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contrada di Dio, 98166 Messina, Italy Abstract In the current scientific context, Basalt Fibres have been proposed as sustainable alternative to synthetic reinforcements in polymeric matrices, thanks to their relatively low cost, good mechanical properties and reduced environmental impact. The aim of this work is to assess the possibility of replacing Glass Fibre with Basalt Fibre Reinforced Composites for structural application. For this purpose, several static tests have been performed in basalt-vinylester and glass-vinylester specimens, and a comparison of the failure behaviour has been conducted. Additionally, the two different failure mechanisms have been analysed with IR Thermography. Results demonstrate that Basalt Fibre composites failure behaviour is advantageous for design purposes, highlighting their potential to replace fibreglass in the near future. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) 1. Introduction In the present time, the use of composite materials is becoming increasingly important in order to design high performance structures. In particular, Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (FRP), consisting of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres have gained interest in the last two decades due to their lightweight, higher specific strength and modulus (Maiti et al., 2022), and good corrosion resistance (Harle, 2024). Therefore, several applications like building and construction (Motavalli et al., 2010), transport (Ilyas et al., 2019), sports and leisure (Sreejith & Rajeev, 2021), and electronics (Pathania & Singh, 2009) have employed these materials. In recent years, researchers have focused on 8th International Conference on Crack Paths A Comparative Study on Mechanical Properties and Failure Mechanisms in Basalt and Glass Fibre Reinforced Composites M. Totaro * , G. Risitano, G. Di Bella, D. Crisafulli, D. D’Andrea Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contrada di Dio, 98166 Messina, Italy Abstract In the current scientific context, Basalt Fibres have been proposed as sustainable alternative to synthetic reinforcements in polymeric matrices, thanks to their relatively low cost, good mechanical properties and reduced environmental impact. The aim of this work is to assess the possibility of replacing Glass Fibre with Basalt Fibre Reinforced Composites for structural application. For this purpose, several static tests have been performed in basalt-vinylester and glass-vinylester specimens, and a comparison of the failure behaviour has been conducted. Additionally, the two different failure mechanisms have been analysed with IR Thermography. Results demonstrate that Basalt Fibre composites failure behaviour is advantageous for design purposes, highlighting their potential to replace fibreglass in the near future. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers Keywords: Composites; Basalt; Glass; Failure; IR Thermography 1. Introduction In the present time, the use of composite materials is becoming increasingly important in order to design high performance structures. In particular, Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (FRP), consisting of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres have gained interest in the last two decades due to their lightweight, higher specific strength and modulus (Maiti et al., 2022), and good corrosion resistance (Harle, 2024). Therefore, several applications like building and construction (Motavalli et al., 2010), transport (Ilyas et al., 2019), sports and leisure (Sreejith & Rajeev, 2021), and electronics (Pathania & Singh, 2009) have employed these materials. In recent years, researchers have focused on © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers Keywords: Composites; Basalt; Glass; Failure; IR Thermography

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +393934549812. E-mail address: martina.totaro@studenti.unime.it * Corresponding author. Tel.: +393934549812. E-mail address: martina.totaro@studenti.unime.it

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers 2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2024.11.071