Evaluating the interfacial shear strength of basalt fibre reinforced polypropylene matrix composites

The aim of this work was to investigate the interfacial shear strength of basalt fiber polypropylene matrix composites via two different methods. The methods applied here were the microdebond test as a direct measurement and the use of Rule-of-Mixtures models to evaluate the macromechanical properties. We found, that it is possible to yield results from both methods, which are in good accordance. Furthermore, while the assessment of the interfacial properties via the microdebond test is a direct method, the influences of preparation and handling are obvious. The calculation of the interfacial shear strength from macromechanical test needs higher effort, but therefore also more interfaces are evaluated at once. Nevertheless, both methods can be useful for application when the respective constraints are taken into account.