Effect of stress ratios on tension–tension fatigue behavior and micro-damage evolution of basalt fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer composites

The tension–tension fatigue behavior and damage mechanism of basalt fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer (BFRP) composites at different stress ratios are studied in this paper. The fatigue experiments were performed under stress ratios, R = σ min / σ max of 0.1 and 0.5, while the lifetime and the stiffness degradation were monitored and analyzed to investigate the effect of stress ratios. The damage propagation during fatigue loading was periodically monitored by using an in situ scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the fatigue life decreases and the fatigue life degradation rate increases with the decrease of stress ratio for examined BFRP composites. The stiffness degradation is also sensitive to different stress ratios, showing a greater stiffness loss before failure at lower stress ratio. From the SEM images, it is indicated that the micro-damage mode shifts from interface debonding and matrix cracking into fiber breaking with decreasing stress ratios.