Low-velocity impact behavior and mechanical characteristics of basalt/glass hybrid composites with graphene filler for enhancing aircraft nose tip

The growing need for eco-friendly, reliable, lightweight yet rigid materials for aircraft structures served as the inspiration for this work. The intention of this research is to examine the microdamage effects of a hybrid composite made of basalt/glass fiber infused with graphene, on the low energy drop weight impact test. Four main methods are used, which encompass the fabrication of composites, low-velocity impact testing, methods for evaluating impacted composites using ultrasound nondestructive testing, and a study of damage morphology through a scanning electron microscope. An E-glass fiber(400 GSM) combined with natural basalt fiber in an 8:2 ratio and infusing graphene nanoparticles is manufactured, to develop a more appealing hybrid composite for aviation industries. The samples of hybrid composite, each varying with 1 % and 2 % graphene weight ratio of fillers with the fibers are used. Eight outer layers made of glass fiber and two inner layers of basalt fiber composite are prepared using hand layup and compression molding methods. Different impact energy levels ranging from 5 J to 48 J are applied to study the propagation of the damage in the composite at low-impact velocities (1.5–3 m/s). The impact damage for glass/basalt with 2 wt% graphene was comparatively 24 % less than that of glass/basalt without infused graphene nanoparticles at the highest impact energy, thus proving addition of natural basalt and graphene filler improves the strength of the composites.