Dynamic performances of basalt fibre laminates at room and low temperatures

Basalt fibre reinforced plastic laminates in vinyl ester resin were obtained by overlapping plain woven fabrics by resin infusion technique. Rectangular specimens, 100 mm × 150 mm, were cut from the original panels and impacted at penetration and increasing energy values, at two different temperatures (room and −50 °C). The final aim was to investigate the damage onset and propagation to study the dynamic behaviour in extreme conditions of basalt laminates, correlating the absorbed energy to the impact one and to evaluate the possibility to replace the traditional carbon and glass laminates in fields where the temperature plays an important role.