Basalt fiber reinforced polymer composite materials are widely used in many aerospace and marine applications, due to their high strength/stiffness to weight ratio, coefficient of thermal expansion, unique low-temperature resistance and chemical stability. However, limited knowledge is available on the mechanical properties of basalt fiber reinforced vinyl ester resin composites in extreme thermal cycling environments. This paper presents a study on basalt fiber reinforced vinyl ester resin composites exposed to extreme thermal cycling conditions. The mechanical properties of basalt fiber surface mat, needle felt and unidirectional fabric reinforced vinyl ester resin composites were evaluated, which were thermally cycled between the temperatures of 150 ºC and −196 ºC in a gaseous N₂ atmosphere for six and 12 cycles, respectively. No significant changes in the tensile strength and failure modes of BF/VE composites were observed under extreme thermal cycling conditions. The morphology of the composites after thermal cycling was characterized by SEM and FTIR, which indicated that the interior structure of basalt fiber reinforced vinyl ester resin composites was hardly changed after extreme thermal cycles. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the composite has satisfied mechanical properties to meet applicability requirements under extreme thermal cycling conditions. Moreover, to improve the mechanical properties and the adhesion to basalt fiber/ vinyl ester resin matrix, basalt fiber with and without a silane coupling agent (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (KH550) treatment were measured in this paper. The results of the investigation show that the pre-treatment of basalt fiber with KH550 can further improve the interfacial adhesion.

basalt fiber;vinyl ester resin;composite;tensile property